A Second Makes A Difference
by FoxxyQD
Summary: Lee manages to save Carley from Lilly, but could this change the events of the game? What will differ now that the reporter is still by Lee's side? Season One with a lot of twists. Eventual CarLee and lots of Lee/Clem moments. You guys choose for the decisions.
1. Chapter 1

_**So at this stage, the idea of Carley surviving has become near cliché, everyone trying to figure out different ways of how she could have survived and what she would have done in the future episodes if she was still there.**_

 _ **Carley was an awesome character, and in my opinion she was taken way too soon as I think she had a lot to offer the series in terms of her personality and her reassuring advice to Lee, as well as a trustworthy friend to have in the uncertain times of the later parts of the game. I feel that Carley had so much to offer the game, and she could have been a game changer had she been in the game beyond her death.**_

 _ **I know there is a good many fics about this topic and the game and how it would have gone if Carley was there, but I'm gonna change up the story a good bit with her being involved; because in hindsight, Carley would have made a seismic contrast to the events of the**_ _ **actual game, so things are going to go different. What gets changed I hope you ask? Well you're just going to have to stick around to find out.**_

 _ **This story explores the relationship between Lee and Carley/Clementine, and how Carley would affect the later parts of the game.**_

 _ **I'm fairly new to actually writing stories, so please take this into account when reading this. I hope I don't suck too much.**_

 _ **Reviews of any kind, whether that be comments, constructive criticism or just anything is majorly appreciated. I want to know what you all think of this chapter and whether or not you want to see a second part (This is kinda a series, only if there is interest from the readers to continue.)**_

 _ **So yeah, I think I've bored you long enough, please enjoy the story, and have a nice day!**_

* * *

Lee inhaled a ragged breath before stepping foot outside the halted RV. Lilly was already out, crouching down, observing the cause of the sudden problem. Carley strolled over beside him, her expression read that she was ready for a dogfight. Ben was the last to exit, timidly creeping out from the vehicle, anxious about his fate in the group. The parking lights blinked red, momentarily lighting up the muddy ditch they were now going to argue in with each flash.

"Kenny, the RV has some surface damage but there's a walker trapped underneath." Lilly offhanded uncaringly to an approaching Kenny, she had other things in mind. The man scowled and sat on his hunkers, checking the extent of the damage.

"God dammit. Everyone, keep your eyes peeled." He sighed in clear frustration. It had been a long day, this was exactly what he didn't want to deal with right now, as well as the storm Lilly was serving up only a few feet away.

Their supposed leader turned back to them, ready for another round of accusations and blame. The stars floated unwatched in the purple sky above, the clouds had all retreated away, Lilly had probably scared them off. The unfazed moon shone proudly upon them, Lee would've considered it a beautiful night if not for the current circumstances. Clementine was now standing idly at the door of the RV, watching the ugly scene unfold before her pure eyes.

"You know what? We shouldn't just kick you out, we should hear what everybody thinks." Lilly began in a strangely calm voice. She was utterly determined to uncover the traitor, which at this point Lee couldn't really care about. But Lilly demanded answers and she knew that Ben would crumble.

"I think you should chill out!" Ben feebly blocked off, only serving to irritate the already agitated woman. The teenager couldn't have picked a worse response than he just did. Lilly called his bluff and closed in, but Carley stepped in for her own defense.

"I'm not going to take this; you can push Ben around but you can't push me around." She stated firmly, taking some of the pressure off of the teen.

"I'm really sorry you feel that way, but I'm starting to think that maybe it was both of you." Lilly spat in a spiteful tone, glaring at the pair on trial. Lee couldn't believe how irrational she was being and decided to intervene himself, but being careful that he didn't get caught in her wrathful theorizing.

"There's no way it was Carley. It was somebody else." Lee offered to the argument, before realising he had left Ben out in the firing line. "It could've even been someone sneaking into our camp." He quickly tacked on, the idea was made on the spot and it was ludicrous. Lilly saw right through it as he expected the moment he said it.

"That's ridiculous. That's what you think?" Lilly gave the thought no time, discarding his hopelessly ambitious idea to the side.

Lee froze momentarily, but decided to mock-believe his own unrealistic theory that Lilly was currently picking apart. He stuck with the idea though.

"Yes."

Lilly shook her head in disbelief and crossing her arms. Her fists were white with how hard she had been clenching them."Okay, fine then. Kenny?". She called for her opposing leader, hoping that he would as to the point as she was. But to her disappointment, Kenny seemed to be completely uninterested in the matter, he was more concerned about getting the RV on the road again.

"I don't know! Fuck! Just, stop, would ya?!" He responded flusteredly, already busy with the gurgling mess that was stuck underneath the vehicle. It dawned on Lilly that she was the only one pointing fingers, taking a second to mull over the hectic situation, but settling on that fact that the backstabber must be eradicated from the group, one way or another.

"Well your vote counts for you and Katjaa." She added mindfully.

"We don't need all these _votes_!" Ben erupted into panic, his eyes wide in fear as Lilly stared on, clearly unchanged in her accusations. "What do I have to do for you to _trust_ me?! I'll do _anything_!" He wildy attempted in vain to save himself from the pressure. His voice gave way at several stages, causing Lee to cringe slightly, he was making the scenario so much worse for himself

"I'll do watches for months!" He pleaded in blatant desperation.

Lilly gave a cruel laugh. "The hell you will."

"I'll get more food, more medicine, anything, just-

"You're making it worse on yourself." Lee had to stop him before he broke down completely. His crazy excuses only made it seem more likely for it to be him.

"I just don't want to be on my own!" Ben explained, terrified of the thought. He was barely an adult.

"You should've thought of that." Lilly poked with zero mercy for his begging. "Do we need anymore evidence than _this_?!" She growled, pointed at the gawky teen.

"Fuck evidence! Stop treating him like this!" Carley jumped in for her friend, a steely glare of her own.

"Shut up, Carley!" Lilly instantly snapped back at the reporter. "I've heard enough out of you!" She turned back to Kenny, who was still pulling away at the obstacle underneath the RV. "Kenny, what's it going to be?"

"Just give me a damn minute!" Kenny called back, getting pissed off at Lilly's constant bossing.

"Ben, you have until that walker is dealt with to tell me it was her and was her and not you!" She continued to press on the boy, making a difficult decision for him. Lilly toyed with him, aware that he would fold easy, and it was all going to plan. Ben appeared taken aback by the question, not wanting to land the ultimate verdict on his deadshot friend either. Lee feared his response, one wrong move and Lilly would strike.

"Stop this. You're torturing him!" Carley exclaimed, appalled by her lack of mercy.

"No!"

"Ben!"

"Stop."

They pinballed around comments, the situation become more fiery and the tension increasing to near palpable levels.

"This is about trust, and I've never trusted you!"

"Lilly lay off." Lee had to put a stop to things before they got violent. Lilly was becoming more and more unhinged at every passing second and Lee could see her eyes turn foreign, as if something else had taken over the woman. Clementine looked petrified at the increasingly volatile discussion raging on in front of her, Lee would have to talk to her later.

"I can't Lee. You know damn well that I can't." Lilly was near shaking with anger. This was a clear sign to him that she was dead set on getting an answer, no matter what.

A crunching sound was heard up from the front of the RV, Kenny had pulled the walker out. "There! I got him." He sighed in relief, unaware to the commotion occurring a few feet away from him.

Ben threw out an exhausted plea. "Please, let's just get back in the RV-

"That's not happening!" Lilly denied without a moment's notice.

"You think you're some tough bitch, don't you? Like nothing can hurt you, but you're just a scared little girl. Get the fuck over it." Carley butted back, not taking anymore of Lilly's aggression. The reporter was never afraid to speak her mind, but Lee noted the frightening expression on accusing woman's face. She was beyond angry. Her eyes were brimming with rage. "Take a page from Lee's book and try helping somebody for once."

Lilly looked seething. And Lee was worried as to what she would do. She fell into silence, which seemed odd as she was the most vocal just a few seconds ago.

Another crunch sounded from the top of the RV, as Kenny put his boot through the skull of the walker, ending the ordeal. He sighed again and wiped the blood on his jeans. Everyone turned at the noise, watching as Kenny strolled over to the group, a sheepish look on his face.

Lee turned back to face Lilly, but she was glaring at Carley, who was watching as Kenny sauntered over to them. Lilly was reaching for something down her back.

Lee's blood froze when she produced a gun and aimed it at the unexpecting reporter.

"Now, what the fuck's the problem?"

Lee jumped desperately at the gun, trying to wrestle it out of her iron grip, but not before a deafening shot fired and caught Carley in the side, collapsing to the ground like a ragdoll. Lee watched in horror as his close friend was motionless on the ground, murky blood pooling at her side. He grabbed Lilly's wrists firmly and slammed her against the RV, glaring into her emotionless eyes.

"Drop it." He hissed, gripping both of her hands tightly. Lilly looked glanced slowly at the gun, and let it tumble out of her hand, clattering to the roadside. Lee could hear ragged breathing from behind him. Ben crouched down beside the fallen woman, a combination of guilt and shock apparent on his face.

"Holy fuck..."

"She's still breathing." He managed to squeak.

"Kenny! What's happening?!" Katjaa called from the passenger seat, concern clear in her voice.

"Keep Duck away from the windows! Jesus Christ!" Kenny urged, stepping over her. "Get Carley into the RV!" He ordered to Ben, who nodded and began to lift the limp body into the vehicle. Clementine spectated the scene in horror, bewildered why Lilly would do such a thing. Ben rested the reporter in the backseat, before climbing back out of the RV.

"Get in, we're leaving this crazy bitch!" Kenny demanded. Lee stared into Lilly's now saddened eyes. She looked scared herself. Lee knew he had to make a decision here.

 _ **Leave Lilly? Or bring her along with you. It's up to you.**_

 _ **I urge you guys to give me your answer if we want this to work, it'll be hard for me if no one comes back at all.**_

 _ **Thank you all so much for reading! Please drop a review, I would appreciate it so much. I'll continue on if there's sufficient interest in the story.**_

 _ **Have a great day!**_


	2. Chapter 2

_**I would like to thank everyone for leaving feedback on the last chapter, I was pretty worried that people wouldn't bother but you guys are awesome and helped me out, so thanks a bunch!**_

 _ **The decision has been made. You'll see what the verdict is, the most popular vote wins.**_

 _ **I suppose the format in which we do this story is that you guys decide all the choices; both those in the game and those I create. Deal? There will be one choice per chapter, so that means there will be more than 5 choices per episode. (It will vary in number.)**_

 ** _Anyway, thanks again. All reviews are all hugely appreciated. I've bored you all long enough. Please enjoy this chapter and have a great day!_**

* * *

 _"She can't be trusted Lee. I swear. Please."_

Lee didn't know what to feel anymore. He was in utter bewilderment at Lilly's actions. She attempted to murder one of their own. Lee closed his eyes briefly, still shocked about why she would do such a thing. Carley had been anything but trustworthy, a reassuring ally to have at your back. Ben watched on quietly, basking in his guilt. Carley was nearly dead because of him, and who was to say that she was safe from her premature fate? The awkward teenager just wanted to wallow away into the ground.

Lee knew that there was no return for Lilly, that she could never be trusted again. The rage began to rise in him, a blind fury that he struggled to control. He had met this caged monster before, _one time._ Lilly begged at him fearfully with pleading eyes, as she tried to make excuses for herself. Lee could barely see her face but for the flashing indicators.

"You're not coming with us." He muttered, releasing his grip on her. An unreadable little girl gazed up at her guardian, as he dropped down to pick up the discarded firearm.

"I'll die out here." Lilly remarked with a shaky voice, pointing out to the barren road behind her. There was nowhere to go out here, no safe location that she could retreat to. This place was complete wilderness. Lilly was being abandoned. Lee stood back up fully, towering intimidatingly over the woman. With her eyes brimming with tears, Lee felt no mercy for her.

"I don't care."

Clementine didn't recognize this man in front of her. But despite his cold delivery, she understood the reasoning. It's not nice to try kill other people. But the man she always felt so protected and safe around made her feel frightened, this wasn't the Lee that would ask her how she's doing and admire her drawings even when he didn't even know what it was, this was a different man. A frightening and remorseless man.

"You're a murderer Lilly. We can't have you with us." Kenny backed up his decision, understandably too as he would never allow someone dangerous near his family. Then again, Lee murdered before all of this, and he was still here. But Kenny let him know after he had confessed to him about his past back at the motor inn that he wouldn't forget what Lee told him, and that it could be important if it could down to a tough call.

"I'm a murderer?! You've had Lee with you this whole time!" Lilly tried to pawn off the some of the pressure on him, a last gasp attempt to get some of the heat off of her. As much as Kenny didn't like Lee for helping Larry back at the meat locker, he wouldn't throw the man out to the road too. Lee was too resourceful to just send packing, and the decision would be met with stern backlash as Lee was a liked figure among the group.

"I don't care what he did before!" Kenny yelled back, proving her attempt futile. Lilly gawked at the man, the one thing she had against him was now useless. She had nothing. Lee felt a huge burden off of his shoulders.

"You know?!"

"Yeah, he told me. I don't give a shit." Kenny exclaimed. Lee felt grateful to the older man for being willing to drop his past. Lee also had Carley to thank for urging him to tell everyone about what he did before, if it weren't for her, Lee didn't know how that comment would have went down with Kenny.

"If we keep you with us, how long until you get _me_?!" Kenny added, grimacing at the thought of not being there to protect his family.

"I was trying to protect all of us." Lilly looked down at the ground, realizing her fate was sealed, sobbing as she spoke. With every flash of the indicators, Lee saw the tears falling freely down her face, and he wondered perhaps had he made the right decision. This woman had nothing left to care about.

"I don't have anything left." She confirmed his thoughts, her tone was feeble. Her body language was withdrawn. Kenny's eyes widened at her rambling, as he could partially blame himself for her poor state of mind, but his arrogance won the battle and he shook his head.

"Get in Lee. Let's go you guys." Kenny turned his back on her and re-entered the RV. Lilly glanced up at Lee momentarily, a last plea.

Lee didn't feel anything for this woman. He stared her in the eye, the last thing she would see of him was his burning hatred for her. Lee climbed in the vehicle after Ben, leaving Lilly well and truly on her own. He walked straight over to the back window, watching as Lilly got smaller and smaller as the RV drove away into the night.

* * *

Blood. Blood everywhere. His hands were covered in it.

"Lee! Could you apply some pressure here for a sec?!" Katjaa asked impatiently, tired of seeing so many horrific injuries. Lee nodded weakly and pressed his hands against Carley's side, watching as Katjaa tried to remove the bullet fragments from her body. Lee wanted to puke, cry and yell in anger at the sight. Ben was asked to help but after standing around reluctantly and nearly fainting on one occasion, he was let off. He currently sat in silence beside Clementine, who had a blank expression on her round face.

They had stored some supplies in the RV back at the motor inn, some medical supplies included. Carley was still barely awake, drifting in and out of conscious which worried Lee sick. Kenny warned them to be careful around the injured woman, in case she turned unexpectedly. He was always worrying when his family was involved.

"Okay, thanks Lee. I should have it all under control from now." Katjaa offered a small distracted smile to him. But there was only one question plaguing him right now.

"Is she gonna make it?" He inquired, dreading the answer, but he needed to know so he could expect... whatever was going to happen.

Katjaa paused briefly, which only served to make his heart split in two. She glanced at him with soft eyes and sighed.

"I can't honestly say right now. We just have to wait and see what happens." The concerned mother offered him honestly. Lee nodded absentmindedly, feeling as if he was suffocating in this RV, he just wanted some air, some time to himself to think.

"Lee, Kenny wants to talk to you for a minute." She added, gesturing to her husband up the front of the vehicle. Lee didn't know what he would want from him, but nodded anyway and strolled up to him. Stopping beside Clementine who was sitting in a very straight posture, Lee gazed down at the girl to quickly check on her. She seemed unresponsive, keeping an undeterred stare on the wall opposite her.

You okay, sweet pea?"

She gave a small nod in response, making him feel sick with worry when she was like this. Lee clambered up to the front, Kenny didn't turn to him, instead his eyes remained firmly on the road.

"Katjaa said you wanted a word."

Kenny huffed from his nostrils, before nodding over to Duck who was panned out in the passenger seat. The boy seemed far too pale, his breathing was far too audible. Lee looked between Kenny and Duck, spotting the distressed look on the fathers face.

Reaching over, he pulled up Duck's shirt to reveal a severe bite mark in his soft flesh, the red markings looked distinct. Lee could only watch in horror as Kenny glanced back at him, his eyes told the story of the pain inside him, the sorrow that was trying to conquer his senses. Lee could tell the man was trying to convince himself that everything was okay.

Lee didn't know what he could possibly say to Kenny, the situation was too bleak, too hopeless for him to sugarcoat the problem.

"Holy shit." He muttered, knowing he had to say something.

Kenny furrowed his eyebrows, not knowing who or what to be angry with right now. "Happened during the raid." His voice was low, trying to hide his inner turmoil.

"What are we going to do? We've never had a bite victim in our group before." Lee questioned, aware that Kenny would not put up with any talk of the inevitable end for his son. Looking at Duck, Lee knew there was only one option available for him, one deathly cure. It was all just too horrible to suggest, so Lee dropped it for now, hoping that Kenny himself would eventually realize the same thing when the time came.

"We'll keep on eye on him if anything happens, but nothing changes. The plan stays the same, east." Kenny murmured, not looking back at the doubtful expression on Lee's face.

"Kenny-

"What? He's just a bit sick! He'll be okay, we just need him to rest up." Kenny snapped hastily. The man was viewing this from an illogical perspective, both men knew what was going to happen, but neither had the strength to talk about it right now. Lee was wise enough to drop it.

"Does Katjaa know?"

Kenny scowled at him. "Of course she fuckin' knows! You think I'd tell you before telling her?!"

Lee nodded and looked down at the dusty RV carpet, feeling guilty for some reason.

"Lee, would ya tell Clem? About Duck." Kenny requested hesitantly, as if nervous to ask. Lee didn't know how she would take it, how was he supposed to broadcast it to her? That her only friend she could relate to was going to die. The girl was already feeling glum as to their current situation, judging from the downcast appearance on her face. Lee nodded solemnly and turned away from the man, creeping over to Clementine with dread in his heart.

All he wanted to tell her was that things were going to get better. He wanted to tell her not to give up, and to keep optimistic. He wanted to see her adorable smile that made him feel better himself when he saw it. But now, Lee had to inform her that Duck was dying, the only other child she could talk to was fading away, the process was slow but the result was definite.

Collapsing down beside her, Lee only realized then just how fatigued he was, his body screaming for slumber. When he felt Clementine quietly crawl up against his side, resting her head against his chest, he instinctively drew a protective arm around her tiny frame. He felt the her fragile breathing against him, closing his eyes. He couldn't say it. Lee couldn't bring himself to say it to her. He refused to add to her current misery and grief, but a part of him knew he had to do it, as it was better this way rather than her finding out for herself.

"Duck is bit."

Lee couldn't explain why he felt more sorry for Clementine than for Kenny.

"Huh?"

She had heard him clearly.

"He got bit by a walker trying to escape the motel." Lee had to be let it down easy and not jump to any sinister conclusions, for her sake. He decided to leave it there, giving Clementine some time to take in the surreal news. Looking back down at her shoes, the bill of her hat covered her face, Lee couldn't see her expression but he knew it would have broke him.

"I-I don't... feel good." She stuttered; the honest words of the innocent girl told their situation best. Nothing about it made you feel positive, there was too much going on, too many problems. All the spinning plates were beginning to wobble, and Lee couldn't control it. He just watched as the world plagued them with issue after issue. Lee gave her arm a comforting squeeze, it was all he could offer without lying to the girl, which he just couldn't make himself do at this point.

"What about Carley?" She asked carefully, scared it would be more bad news. Lee didn't know what was going to happen himself, her guess was as good as his. But Lee was aware that Clem took comfort in him telling her things would be alright, even if she didn't believe him.

"Katjaa is doing her best Clem, we'll just have to wait and see."

Clementine nodded wistfully. Lee could tell the gears in her mind were spinning, and at times like these, he wished he could read minds. Just to know what Clem was thinking about, if she had any doubts or worries, Lee wanted to extinguish them all and make her happy again. He wanted to see her smile.

"I'm glad I have you."

Clementine raised her head to Lee, beaming brightly at him. He felt marginally better.

"Me too." She smiled back.

She returned her head back against his chest. "I heard you outside my treehouse that day, and I thought about dropping a hammer on your head." Lee could spot the small grin at the corner of her lips.

Lee thought back to the day, and was grateful that she hadn't. His wounded leg would've have been even worse combined with a sore head.

"Hmm. That's.. nice."

Clementine gazed up at him in slight confusion. She didn't understand his sarcasm too well. "I didn't though."

Lee smirked at the idea, admiring how clever she was. Clementine had years of maturity on most other kids her age.

"Thanks." He added.

Letting a comfortable silence wash over them, Lee could feel the little girl sink into him, dozing off to sleep. Katjaa had moved back up to the passenger seat, positioning her sick child in her arms as she tried to catch some deserved rest. Ben sat awkwardly at the table at the back, his hand propping up his head. The sound of the RV carelessly gliding down the abandoned road faded out, but the leaky tap caught his interest, each individual drip a different pitch.

A murmur sounded from the sleeping girl, causing Lee to jump slightly. Clementine sat up slowly, gazing at him with milky eyes. Her skin was snow pale, and blood covered the left side of her mouth. Lunging at him, Lee cried out in surprise as the ray of light in his grey life was lost, gone forever.

"Clem?! FUCK!"

What was once his entire world now was trying to feast on him, Lee holding Clem back with all his strength; but what was the point? There was nothing good in his life without her, Lee simply gave up, allowing the infected girl near his throat, and closing his eyes.

* * *

Lee jumped awake with a gasp, sweat beads rolling down his forehead. Checking Clem over, she was peacefully dozing away, clutching onto his shirt sleeve. Lee released an anxious breath of relief, terrified about how real the nightmare felt. The ignorant sun shot through the cluttered blinds behind him, Lee watched the dust particles dance in the rays of sunlight. Not before he heard some cursing from up front.

Lee carefully sat up, Clementine latching onto him dearly as he gently set her down on the couch, letting her get some more sleep, God knows when she would get a better chance than this to get some good rest.

Sauntering up to the front, Lee saw Kenny's frustrated expression as the RV came to a gradual halt. Lee cursed under his breath as they approached yet another wedge in their plan.

"Now we gotta deal with this." Kenny muttered restlessly.

A train. A goddamn train. A few tonnes of steel blocked their path, derailed and all kinds of debris littered the crossing. The engine sat largely untouched and ready for command, but it was what was behind it that was the complication.

"Holy shit, a train!" Ben exclaimed nearly excitedly, receiving daggers from Lee and Kenny. The teen piped down and crossed his arms dejectedly. Hearing his stomach rumble, Lee noticed their next issue; food and water. All of their supplies had been left behind at the overrun motor inn, and they were all currently running on fumes, their last meal seemed so far away. Carley was still sleeping at the back, motionless, but the steady fall and rise of her chest put his worries to rest for now.

Kenny appeared to have read his mind, or heard his belly. "Lee, check those drawers. Might be something useful." He disembarked the RV with Katjaa, who was clutching onto weak Duck. The child was severely sick, there was no doubt about it anymore. Lee shuddered as he remembered his earlier nightmare.

Lee began turning open all the cupboard doors, which were all mostly empty, except for a few mocking dust bunnies. Opening the compartment above the cooker, Lee was surprised to find what looked like a bottle of pills. Grabbing them, he turned and read the label.

Antibiotics.

Lee grinned, glancing over at Carley. This is exactly what she needs, in case Katjaa had to pick more bullet fragments. These would definitely secure Carley's survival if they needed to make drastic measures. It was likely that she might have caught something, as they did not have the adequate materials for a secure surgery. Her wound was for the most part still in danger of infection, and these would help her significantly. Lee unscrewed the lid and found the bottle to be nearly empty. While not exactly ideal, they would still make do with the few pills they had.

Gazing outside at Duck, being held delicately by Katjaa, Lee looked at the painkillers in his hand again.

Duck was only a child. No child deserved this kind of pain. This medication would assist him in his fight, his battle to live. They weren't too educated on how the disease worked, so maybe these antibiotics would help him dearly. Duck deserved a chance at life. It was a longshot, it might not work, but if it did, Kenny and his family would be forever grateful. But with Carley's life also in the balance, who needed them more?

Lee knew that this choice was significant, as it could possibly save one's life at the cost of another.

 ** _Give the antibiotics to Duck? Or to Carley? It's up to you._**

 ** _I'm not saying either are guaranteed survival if they get the treatment, as well as the other might not die without them, but who knows. Think about and come back to me._**

 ** _Once again, thanks for all the awesome reviews on the last chapter._**


	3. Chapter 3

_**The people have spoken! Once again, I greatly appreciate the reviews, you guys are all so awesome. Thank you.**_

 _ **Someone was asking me whether this would be a weekly series, and to be honest, I don't really know. I would like to apply that format but I can be busy with college n' stuff so yeah... I'll try update as regularly as I can.**_

 _ **Anyway, on with the story. Left you all with a tough decision in the last chapter.**_

* * *

Carley stirred in her ragged slumber, her appearance was ghostly. Lee grimaced and knelt down beside his close friend, hoping she would awake and give them some knowledge of how she was feeling. Feeling the antibiotic case in his pocket, he sighed. Carley needed them, and this medication was sacred; wasting them on a whim would be the same as throwing them away. Lee knew he would never forgive himself for it, but he knew that it was Carley that needed them more. There just was no proof that they would even help Duck, as much as Lee wanted to help the poor child. Carley's pained expression made Lee cave in with pity for her.

Hesitantly, he brushed a loose strand of her deep brown hair behind her ear. Lee missed her voice, he missed her intense eyes, her helpful guidance, he missed their harmless jokes between themselves, testing their wits against each other. Lilly had gone completely overboard, and just looking at Carley put his doubts to rest about whether leaving her behind was the right choice. A desolate sigh escaped his lips as he inspected the woman, watching in slight comfort as her chest rose and fell.

"Lee?"

He snapped his head around in an instance to the unexpected voice, seeing a freshly awoken Clementine shyly standing behind him, sleep still evident in her eyes. He hadn't heard awake, or sneak up on him. Lee cleared his throat awkwardly, turning to face the little girl, who seemed a mixture of confused and concerned; standing up on her tippy toes to glance over his shoulder at the wounded lady.

"I was just checking on Carley, sweet pea. How are you?" Lee brushed off, trying to give a glow of reassurance to her.

Clementine faltered slightly; eyes trained at her shoes, as if she was embarrassed about something. "I'm fine, I think. Is Carley going to be okay? She doesn't look good."

Lee had to swallow back some of the pain which was developing in his chest. Clementine had the discreet ability of telling the situation as it was, but not really intending to do so. She said what she saw, it was just in her childlike nature, he couldn't blame her for pessimism. Behind Lee, was a woman in bad condition, and he was trying to convince himself that she Carley was going to be fine. But in truth, Lee was scared; scared of losing her.

Not scared, _petrified._

The reporter was drifting away to the edge, the point of no return. It was sickening as he could only watch her descent.

"I'm sure we'll get her right Clem, we'll get Katjaa to look at her, okay?" Lee was lying to himself.

Clementine seemed skeptical, but nodded determinedly. Lee stood up straight and nabbed her hat, ruffling her curly locks jokingly; trying to lighten the sombre atmosphere. He earned a giggle from her, as she carefully repositioned her cherished cap on her head.

The crisp air of the morning was refreshing, a vast change in comparison to the musty circulation of the RV. Clementine stepped timidly out of the vehicle, taking in the scene around her. Trees as far as the eye could view, all different kinds adorned the roadside, filling her with hope of new leaf rubbing possibilities. But all of these came crashing down when she caught sight of the boy who held weakly onto his grieving mother. Clementine was aware of Duck's situation, but she was not ready for how apparent it was. This wasn't the same boy that she played and became fast friends with, the same boy that whether she liked it or not, forced her to go on imaginative and wild adventures in the confined space of the motor inn, this wasn't the same boy that she toed and froed devilish pranks with, all in the name of good humour; this was a very sick child. A boy who she could barely recognize as the enthusiastic, exuberant friend he once was, a boy so devoid of life that it seemed blinking his eyes was a massive struggle to him.

Lee noticed the drop of her face, placing a gentle hand on her agitated shoulder. Ben slinked up to the man clumsily, his reddish brown hair sticking out in all directions after an uncomfortable nights sleep.

"Why don't you and I look around?" The teen suggested, seeming rather eager to search the train and the unknown treasures it could hold within.

Lee silently agreed with the plan, turning back to the rest of the group who were resting upon a nearby fallen log. "Yeah, everyone else relax. I'll check in on Carley every now and again to see how she's doing." He remarked to the others. "Clem, stay close to Kenny and Kat." The girl nodded absentmindedly, her thoughts somewhere else.

"Lee, if you come across anything to drink, if there's a dining car or something, I think Duck's a bit dehydrated." Katjaa requested, observing her fragile son as he clutched onto her arm.

"It's a freighter hon." Kenny corrected, before glancing over at Lee. "Be careful in there." His voice was tired, the man had been driving all throughout the night. Lee had to sneer at his warning. "What, you think there might be something dangerous inside of an abandoned locomotive?" He sarcastically jested, walking out of their line of hearing.

"Hadn't crossed my mind."

* * *

The door screeched open, showering the inside of the freight car in light. Lee grimaced in slight disgust at the sight of the grimy interior. Ben peaked in over his shoulder, an unsure look about him. Lee clambered into the train car with a huff, studying the unorganized stacks of possessions in the corner of the carriage. A weary mattress, springs jutting out the sides due to age, an out-of-place lawn chair, several flattened cardboard boxes other miscellaneous trinkets cramped the back end of the car.

"Wow."

Lee glanced back at Ben, the teenager seemed to look slightly concerned about where the owner of these things was.

Somebody's been livin' in here." Lee mumbled as Ben followed him up into the train.

"Yeah, man. Shit. Think they're gone?" He asked, it was only when Ben stood beside him that Lee realized that the kid towered over him in height, he would have felt intimidated if Ben didn't give off such a harmless aura.

"I hope so." Lee sighed, crossing his arms. "But this looks recently used. Be on the lookout and have your guard up." Ben simply nodded and began poking around the carriage, scanning around for anything useful. Spotting a clipboard on the grimy floor, Lee stooped down and grabbed it, seeing if it was of any worth to them. The page contained various lines of different colours and many small fonted numbers beside them, Lee recognized and presumed it to be the map of the tracks. Lee noticed the layout of Georgia, following the yellow line to the coast, where it ended in Savannah.

Lee's eyes widened in surprise, that was where Kenny was bringing them all in the RV. The train would be unstoppable, they could barge through any army of walkers or bandits between them and the coast. Then again, remembering the deplorable wreckage this train was in, that plan sounded ambitious at best. Lee spotted the crinkled bottle of water near the door of the train; inspecting it carefully, the bottle itself was smeared in dirt, the liquid inside appeared serene.

Climbing back out of the train, Lee strolled back over to Clem, who seemed as peaceful as someone could be at a time like this.

"Hey sweet pea. You okay out here?"

Lee watched as Clementine gazed over at Duck, her golden eyes seemed dimmed and her lips were fixed into an eternal frown.

"I don't think Duck feels good." The girl admitted, her eyes a gateway of despair, Clementine was truly miserable watching her friend slowly diminish beside her. Lee could only unwillingly nod at her presumption.

"Me neither." Lee sighed.

* * *

"Are you fucking serious?!"

"Here, look."

Ben pushed past Lee and fearlessly pressed the flashing yellow button. Steam hissed out of the trains engine, making Lee's heart jump as to what was happening; prepared to scald Ben for his foolishness, but the powerful steed stood ready for its next move, and more importantly it didn't self destruct as Lee was fearing irrationally, usually you don't press buttons thats use is unknown, but that didn't apply to the curious teenager.

"It's just the breaks." Ben crossed his arms as he observed the dashboard behind them, several more lights sparking up on the wall.

"Okay, I'll give you that one." Lee smirked.

The door swung open, Kenny bounding into the booth with a large smile etched onto his wrinkled face. "This fucker works?!" He questioned, his voice rich in newfound hope.

"Seems like it." Lee shrugged in response, making sure Ben didn't press anymore switches.

Kenny climbed into the conductor's seat, studying the layout of the controls in front of him. Lee could only grin at the mans sudden enthusiasm, it was almost refreshing. "I'll be damned." He uttered. "How the hell do we get it movin'?"

"I don't know, ask Mister Amtrak over here." Lee nodded to Ben, who was dragging the previous conductor out of the compartment.

"No clue." He called back in reply.

Lee pulled the clipboard out and flashed it to Kenny. "We found this in the boxcar back there." Handing it to Kenny, the older mans face lit up in delight, relishing the chance of halving their time to reach the coastline. "Is this what it looks like?" Kenny followed the yellow line to Savannah with a grimy thumbnail.

"I think so." Lee gave a gratified smile.

"This hoss will take us right to Savannah. A hundred tonnes of steel. Put a thousand walkers between us and the ocean and we don't have to give a shit!" Kenny revelling at the opportunity. "I can't believe it..."

"We just have to figure out how to get it started." Lee proclaimed.

Kenny didn't seemed too perplexed by the matter. "I'm sure we can figure it out, how hard can it be?"

Lee shrugged, wiping some dirt onto his trousers. "No idea, but we'll find out."

"That's the spirit." Kenny grinned in captivation for the large vehicle. Ben marched back into the booth, seeming enlivened to work with the train. Kenny glanced over at the kid and sneered slightly.

"Ben, if you could keep an eye on the girls and Duck, I'd appreciate it. I'm going to make sense of these controls." Kenny hollered over to him. A look of dejection crept onto his face, as he quietly obeyed and departed back to the the front. Lee knew Ben was trying to prove himself to the group, and he wanted to examine the train some more, but Kenny appeared to not trust him, and he always treated Ben like a child. Ben was transgressing transforming into an adult, but Kenny wasn't buying it.

A sigh of solace came from Kenny. "This could be exactly what we need." His words were full of relief. This was exactly what they deserved, it was what Kenny deserved. A little let-off, some slack from the heavy burden he was carrying right now.

Lee picked around the conductors booth, looking for any clues as to get the locomotive moving again. Searching over through the plethora of scrunched up papers, he saw a picture of a family. Two young kids, a smiling wife, a burly man; but a proud one nonetheless. Lee sighed as he doubted this man ever saw his family again before he died.

Now, Kenny was losing his son. And Lee could sense trouble brewing along with it.

* * *

 _"Goddamn it. Goddamn it!"_

Frustration bubbled up through him. Lee peered at the notepad, spotting the etchings of the writing that was on the previous sheets. Someone had ripped out the pages on starting the trains engine. Lee came up blank as to what to do, what could they do? Pacing back and forth in front of the train, Lee felt eyes trained on him; he was conscious that Clementine was watching him worriedly, she saw how mad he looked. Lee took a few deep breaths, allowing some composure to come over his clouded thoughts.

 _"Think Lee. THINK."_

He could see the engravings on the page, he felt the surface of the sheet, his fingers running over the bumps on the page. Gazing back over at Clementine, she had wandered over to the treeline. Inspecting her movement anxiously, Lee didn't want her getting too close to the foliage. The little girl picked at the dying leaves on the ground, examining them and their shape closely. Lee could only grin at the girls antics, no doubt she wanted more material for her leaf rubbings.

Lee halted suddenly, recalling Clem's artwork from back at the motor inn.

Lee would have to rub the page with a pencil or something of the sort. Now the question was where he could find one. Lee knew Clementine hadn't the time to gather many of her drawing equipment from the motel.

Rubbing his eyes, Lee figured to check on Carley, to see if she was awake and what her current condition was like. It was times like these where Lee would really appreciate having the reporter at his side.

Climbing into the newly neglected RV, he heard some creaking from inside the vehicle. Stepping inside, he found a pale Carley attempting to slowly sit up, holding her side and hissing in affliction. Lee quickly ushered to her, kneeling down beside her and setting her back down on the couch. Lee couldn't describe how glad he was to see her awake and considerably okay.

"Relax Carley, you don't be moving around now." Lee instructed, propping her into a comfortable position.

"L-Lee?"

Her voice was ragged and faint, a stretch away from the usually confident and self-reliant woman that bolstered their ranks.

"I'm here, it's okay." Lee assured her. He tried to hide his smile, Carley was okay; but he was aware of her increasingly hazardous situation. She was vulnerable to infection, if she hadn't contracted one already. It was difficult to tell right now.

"What happened? Where are we?" She croaked, her voice was raspy.

"You're in the RV. We found a train and we're trying to get it moving." Lee informed her, before gazing down at the floor. It was difficult to tell her that their former leader had just plainly shot her, and she meant to kill. It was tough news to break to anyone.

"You were shot. You've been unconscious for a while."

Carley nodded and gripped her side, making Lee gawk at her in concern. "You feeling okay?"

"I'm fine. My side just... stings like a bitch."

Lee didn't know what that meant on medical terms, but he knew it was something around the area of her antibodies fighting whatever was in her body. Taking the pills out of his pocket, he offered them to her with a nod.

"Antibiotics. You're gonna need these."

Carley glanced at the pills in his palm, and then back up at Lee. She grinned and took them gratefully, Lee would've given her water, but Duck needed it right now. She swallowed them regardless and Lee couldn't hide the sense of guilt, but on the other hand, a feeling of security. Carley was back with him.

"Who shot me?"

Lee was caught blindsided by the question. He gazed up at the reporter, who was looking back at him with those intense eyes he had missed. Lee wasn't going to lie to her as she would see right through it. Carley was able to sieve through the bullshit, it was a part of her profession.

"Lilly shot you. She thought you were the traitor." Lee muttered, watching as Carleys expression dropped in shock and betrayal. Her own leader tried to murder her. Carley found it hard to believe but knew that Lee wasn't lying to her.

"What did you do with her?"

Lee paused for a moment.

"We left her. _I_ left her."

Carley nodded again, her eyebrows furrowed. Her silence was powerful. Lee hoped she would understand her actions, that it was beyond unacceptable to try something like Lilly had, to attempt to kill a person on a hunch in cold blood. Lee looked out the windscreen, watching Katjaa cling onto her son. Carley was completely unaware of the situation, but she deserved to know about Duck.

"Carley, there's something else you need to know."

Her gaze landed on him again, awaiting the news with slight dread. Lee had to draw in a deep breath before laying down, it wasn't getting any easier.

"Duck.. Is bitten."

Carley's eyes sparked in complete horror, her entire face went numb as she tried to fathom his words. Lee could tell she was trying to say something, but the words wouldn't come down. Lee saw her bottom lip quiver, Carley was in shock and denial. Duck couldn't be bitten; he was too innocent, he was too young, too full of life to be taken this early.

"Christ... I- I- No..."

Lee nodded quietly.

"Yes Carley. We're watching him, trying to see any changes. We've never had a bite victim before, we don't know how long it will take."

Carley just sat there in evident distress. Lee felt sick.

"What about Ken and Katjaa-

"They're just trying to make sure he's comfortable; they're waiting to see what happens." Lee butted in.

Carley seemed appalled by the scenario presented to her. The poor child was so enthusiastic, so bubbly, now his fate was almost certainly sealed. She gripped Lee's forearm tightly, staring into his eyes. Her look was almost blinding.

"Lee, we have to- We have to do what's necessary for Duck." She stated, her tone was serious. Lee raised an eyebrow at her words. "What do you mean?"

Carley paused briefly. "We have to end his misery." She mumbled.

Lee opened his mouth to strongly oppose her suggestion but she cut him off before he could. "Lee, that boy is suffering. He's in agony. You, and me, and Katjaa and Kenny all know what has to be done." She remarked, never letting go of his arm.

"We can wait and see, but we all know what's going to happen Lee. Duck is going to die. There is no avoiding it. What good is prolonging that child's pain when we all know it's going to be for nothing."

Lee was beginning to see the sense to her words, but was it their call to make?

"Kenny will listen to you. Lee, you have to talk to them, you have to tell them that their son is in pain and there's no saving him. We're dragging out his torture here. You need to tell them both to do this. Let them say their goodbyes, and then we do what's right for Duck."

Lee closed his eyes, Carley had a point, Duck's life was draining slowly, and Lee was convincing himself that the boy would be fine. Duck was dying, there was no question of that. Why drag out his torture?

Then again, how could they be sure? Also, Lee couldn't tell them what to do. It was their son, so it was their decision. But Lee knew they would leave their son's life to the last possible moment.

This wasn't about the good of the group, this was about mercy for a dying boy.

* * *

 ** _Accept Carley's plan, and out Duck down now? Or refuse it, letting Duck live and see what happens. It's your choice._**

 ** _Thanks for all the reviews. You are all the most scrum-diddly-umptious people I know. You guys make the choice now, think about it._**

 ** _Hope you all enjoyed! Thanks for reading and have a great day!_**


	4. Chapter 4

**The times are tough people, that's all I can say. I'm so goddamn busy, I was adding to this whenever I got a few minutes. Sorry if it's pretty bad quality wise.**

 **Not much else to say. Keep up the reviews please you rascals. Thank you all so much.**

* * *

Lee could only bring himself to nod weakly as he got to his feet. Carley was right, but how was he going to convince two parents to just simply give up all hope for their son? He didn't know what Carley expected him to do, Lee and Kenny were not on the best of terms as things stood currently, but Lee flinched at the backlash he would face from the man if he suggested such a drastic measure.

The reporter peered at Lee from the couch, sitting awkwardly as she held her wound hesitantly. Her eyes were apologetic but determined; she was clear in her words.

"Okay." Lee huffed, his voice registering at a few decibels. "Okay, I'll do it."

Carley smiled glumly.

"Thank you. It's for the greater good."

Stumbling out of the RV, Lee couldn't bring himself to look at anyone. He knew Carley was making him do the right thing, and the life everyone lived nowadays was brimming with tough choices, but none seemed as heavy as this. To deprive a family of their hope, and to try and take their own son away from them, it was horrible. Anyone else would have seen Lee as a disgusting and cruel man, but observing their current situation and the decreasingly respondent Duck, someone had to administer the inevitable truth, the elephant in the room, the unconcealable end.

Lee heard the fallen leaves rustle the cracked tarmac road as they danced in the bitter wind. They went along with the breeze, letting its unpredictable force sway them away. The scene was too peaceful for such a time of anguish. His eyes landing instinctively on Clementine, who was watching her feet dangle off the fallen log.

Duck grunted and shuffled stiffly in the arms of his distressed mother. His skin was a ghostly white, his eyes appeared sunken and shadowed. Lee felt as if there was a mountain of guilt upon his shoulders, only he could do this. Katjaa would listen.

The mother tried to force a smile at Lee as he approached her, but her oceans of misery were too dominant over her mind to put on such an antic. Lee began to thought maybe Katjaa was expecting his offer, as her grip on Duck tightened. How could he simply tell her to give up her beloved son? Much to Lee's unknowing, the group saw his opinion as mostly wise and fair, and now with Lilly out of the equation, Lee was the perfect candidate to take up the vacated role of group leader.

"We need to talk about Duck."

Katjaa nodded grimaced but nodded quietly. Lee noticed Clementine gazing worriedly at him, he couldn't discuss this in front of her.

"Away from her." He whispered the next part. He was anxious about what she would think of him if she knew that he was trying to have her best friend put down. Lee knew Clementine would strongly oppose such an idea, he would have to sit her down and explain it to her later, but as of right now, they were running out of time.

Strolling a few yards away from the little girl, Lee couldn't bear to look Katjaa in the eye. She would listen to him, Lee was aware of it, but Katjaa loved her son dearly. He couldn't just expect her to give up on Duck without some degree of disputement.

"It's Duck, I think that-

"I know what you want Lee." Katjaa butted in. Lee was astonished by her words, they weren't brimming with rage or disgust, instead, they were low and shaky. "I know what you're going to say. A-and I agree with you. His condition is not getting any better, he is becoming less responsive. I think his end is near." Her voice wobbled at the end, the thought of her little Duck slowly fading away was too agonizing to bear.

"Katjaa, I'm so sorry. But I think Duck is only going to get worse and frankly, I don't think there's too much more for us to do for him." Lee crossed his arms and tried not to sound too invading. Katjaa seemed reluctantly convinced, but her face was crumbling in torment.

"Just- just give me some time. I'll go talk to Kenny." She offered, gazing over at Duck who was nestled up against the tree, Clementine watching him despondently. Lee was grateful that she was going to negotiate with her husband, as Lee would not expect anything less than a broken nose if he himself had to suggest it to her.

"I'm sorry Katjaa. I wish things were different." Lee muttered to her retreating back. She turned slowly to him, and adorned a sorrowful smile.

"What are you sorry for Lee? You're just saying what has to eventually happen, whether Ken or myself like it or not."

Katjaa left Lee to think, scooping Duck back into her arms and heading for the train, where Kenny was currently fiddling about cautiously with controls. Lee was hit with a new wave of dread, hoping that the older man would see the reason behind his drastic proposal. With a fatigued sigh, Lee returned to his errands with a hope of peace for one little boy.

* * *

"That should do it."

The former history professor grinned victoriously as he shaded the page with a half-sharpened pencil, feeling relieved at the sight of the clear engravings, the concealed writing finally becoming clear with Clem's neat trick. Now they just needed to follow them, and they had a working locomotive to control. Strolling back over to the train, Lee felt a feeling of hopefulness wash over him. Their situation was going to improve, the feeling in his gut was a confident one.

And that feeling crumbled into a million pieces at the sight of Kenny bursting through the cabin door looking extremely pissed off.

"Where the fuck are you! LEE!"

Kenny spotted the dark skinned man and stormed down to him, fury apparent in face. Lee readied himself for his assault, raising his hands to plead his innocence, hoping the man would listen to his inadequate explanation.

"Kenny, listen, I'm only trying-

A severe right hook cut Lee's words short.

"Ken, stop!" Katjaa cried out.

"Lee!" Clementine called out in horror. Kenny continued to throw punches as Lee tried to block them in vain, the Floridian connecting savagely several times to his face.

"You sick sunnava bitch! What the fuck is wrong with you?! I oughta kill you right now!" Kenny bellowed in pure rage. Lee backed up an inch or two out of his reach. He wasn't going to hit back, it wasn't Kenny's fault for being mad. It wasn't a fight; it was Kenny letting out his rage and fear on Lee for speaking of the unspeakable truth.

"Kenny calm down-

"Calm down?! You want my son dead! I ain't calming down for shit!"

"Kenny! Stop it right now!" Katjaa yelled, catching everyone's attention. Kenny reluctantly called a brief ceasefire to his assault on Lee, spinning to his wife in slight confusion. He knew that his wife frowned upon his occasional violence, but he at least expected her to support him in dealing with the man that wanted to kill Duck.

"Lee is only trying to help, Ken! Our son in dying! He's in severe pain! Lee was only trying to inform you of what needs to happen." Katjaa remarked, her anger was uncharacteristic of her. She was always so gentle and kind, evading the various brutal instances that were thrown at the group. She wasn't holding back or playing down Duck's situation, which Lee couldn't comprehend how much it hurt for her to say it.

"No he's not-

"Look at him!" Katjaa exclaimed, gesturing to the pale boy in her arms. "He's suffering Ken. He's... he's not going to make it much longer. We have to be honest with ourselves."

Kenny's unconvinced face fell to a harrowed one, almost surprised. As he studied Duck's face, he began to see the veracious pain on his child. No one spoke as Kenny examined his son, which left the only sound to be the soft wind and Duck's struggling respiration. Lee could only wonder if the antibiotics would have made a difference at all, surely he should have at least tried?

"A-alright. We'll... we'll do it. Just give me a minute." Kenny eventually admitted, his tone crestfallen. He strolled away inexplicably, presumably to have a minute to himself. A minute to reflect on the fact that he was losing the only child he had in the world. Lee felt a hand on his shoulder, spinning around to find Carley standing behind him, adorning a grateful smile but a guilty glint in her eyes.

Nobody was safe anymore.

"Lee, can I talk to you for a sec?" Ben inquired subtly, seeming rather unsettled about something, his body language was evidently disturbed and twitchy.

"Not right now, kid."

Ben seemed oddly persistent. "Lee man, I need to-

"Can it wait Ben?" Lee muttered, he felt drained and he was still feeling the stinging pain of Kenny's punches. Ben watched as Lee walked away to sit beside Clementine. Guilt had consumed the teenager, he had to tell someone, he couldn't hold it back any longer.

He had to tell someone what he had done.

* * *

Sitting on the fallen log, Lee took a minute to listen to the birds chirping cheerfully in the trees adjacent to him. Lee had to ask himself were they aware of what was happening around them, whether they knew about the carnage that gripped humanity by the throat. It made him feel moderately better at the knowledge that some things were still the same. The birds still tweeted their songs jubilantly, the sun still rose responsibly every dawn, nature didn't seem deterred by the utter chaos happening around the world. Lee was thankful, to say the least.

Clementine sat beside him in complete silence, her mind must be in overdrive with everything that is happening. Lee thought this was as good a time as any to have a chat with her.

"How you doing, sweet pea?"

She gazed over her shoulder at him, her face smothered in misery.

"I'm okay." She lied hopelessly. Clem knew she had to be tough, but there was no logical way she could take this in her stride.

"Are you sure?" Lee asked, conscious of her true feelings. He needed to talk to her about it, the girl needed someone to talk to about what was going to happen to Duck.

"No. I-I don't know. Is Duck going to be okay?" Clementine questioned softly, unaware of what was really going to become of her friend. Lee bit his lip, processing what was the best way to phrase it both honestly but not too harsh. He had to handle this carefully as not to upset the girl more than she currently was already.

"We're making sure Duck isn't in any more pain." He murmured, but she still didn't seem to understand.

"How are you going to do that?"

Lee had to pause momentarily.

"We're gonna put him out of his misery."

Clementine's eyes widened at his words. She had an idea that Duck's end was near, but his words stuck with her.

 _Misery._

Her goofy, lively, enthusiastic friend was in misery. It just didn't sit right with her. Misery wasn't a word she would associate with the usually joyful Duck, he seemed so unaffected by the things he saw. But now, he was in misery. It couldn't be true.

Lee patted her shoulder, hoping to offer her some comfort during this difficult time. He had so much he wanted to say to her, to tell her that he would never let anything like this happen to her, and that he would protect her with his life. But these were wiped from his mind when he heard a yell from a distance. Jumping to his feet, Lee glanced over to Carley, an anxious look in his eye. She appeared just as concerned as he was.

"Keep an eye on Clementine!" He remarked as he sprinted in the direction of where he had heard the guttural yell. Turning the train, Lee was shocked to see Katjaa desperately holding back her husband as he wildly swung out for a frightened Ben.

"Let go of me Kat! You motherfucker! You're a cowardly piece of shit Ben! I'mma fuckin' kill you!"

"Ken, stop!"

Ben just stood there, not trying to defend himself whatsoever. He just stared at the ground in hope it would open up and drag him down away from here.

"Woah, woah, what's going on?!" Lee demanded, running over to assist Katjaa in containing Kenny.

Kenny was absolutely uncontrollable, as his feral eyes remained trained on the teenager.

"Ben said it was him who was trading with the bandits back at the motor inn! If it weren't for him, Duck wouldn't be about to die right now! You motherfucker!" Kenny bellowed, lunging for him again. Lee glared at Ben in disbelief, as the boy just stood there, allowing any beating Kenny had in store for him to commence. He just nodded pitifully to him, he was too ashamed to even speak.

"What the hell is going on?!" Carley asked, struggling to run with her injury with Clementine trailing behind her, frightened at all the yelling.

"We're leaving this piece of shit, that's what!" Kenny ordered, gesturing towards the guilty teen.

"We're not leaving anyone, Ken." Lee tried the defuse the poisonous atmosphere without success. Kenny had at least calmed down on the front of trying to rip Ben apart with his bare hands.

"Yes we fucking are! This coward was the one trading with those bandits! He fucking told me!" Kenny exclaimed, understandably giving no mercy to him.

"Please, don't leave me, I didn't mean for this to happen!" Ben tried to explain, but to no avail. Kenny was too ruthless, in too much pain over his son to care about what Ben cared about. Even Carley deadpanned in any attempt to stick up for him.

"Please, don't do this." Ben pleaded.

"I'm giving you a chance to leave with your life Ben!" Kenny growled, he was inconsolable.

Carley stepped beside Ben, staring at Kenny. "We're not leaving him! He's part of our group!"

"I don't give a shit! He got Duck bit, fuck Carley, he nearly got you killed too!" Kenny pointed out. Carley was stunned by the idea, she hadn't even thought about it like that.

Lee knew he had to intervene, to calm things down before they turned ugly. "We put it to a vote, everyone decides whether or not they want Ben to stay." Lee shrugged, not knowing any other way to deal with it.

"No that's bullshit! We can't-

"Ken, it's fair." Katjaa stated expressionless. Kenny cursed under his breath, before glaring pure hatred at the teen.

"You know my vote. That fucker goes." Kenny muttered. Lee looked to Katjaa next, not knowing what to expect from her.

"I'm sorry Ben, but this is my son. He is my everything. And he's suffering because of you. I don't want to abandon you, but we have to have lines. My vote is you leave." Katjaa icily answered, her voice sympathetic yet firm.

"I think he should stay." Carley commented. "I know he fucked up, and I'm so sorry about what has happened to Duck, but we can't just throw people out if they mess up!" Kenny scoffed at her response, disgusted that someone would stick up for him.

Lee kneeled down beside Clementine, making sure she felt included in group affairs. Despite her age, Clem was mature enough to have a valid opinion and Lee made sure to respect that.

"Ben's nice. He's my friend. We don't leave friends behind." Clementine replied, her tone was fierce compared to her usual sweet tone.

Lee nodded and stifled a smile, proud of her for her constant maturity, but soon felt eyes boring into him. Standing back up again, everyone awaited his decisive vote. Ben's fate in the group was now on Lee, but what was his choice?

* * *

 **(Vote for Ben)**

 **(Vote against Ben)**

 **Oooooooooh. A big one here. Ben's future in the group is hanging, it's up to you guys to decide whether he stays or not.**

 **Think about it, and then get back to me. I need you guys to vote here to make this work, so throw in your opinion please!**

 **Thank you all for reading! Have a great day!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Well, I have to thank you all for reading my story and for leaving so much feedback. You are all awesome! I'm so damn busy around this time, so excuse me if upload time is kinda erratic but I have a lot to do and not much time to do it if you get me. I'll do my best to keep upload as regularly as I possibly can though.**

 **I left you all with a pretty difficult decision in the last chapter, and to my surprise, it was actually evenly contested betweening leaving and keeping Ben. You guys are heartless! I love you all the same though.**

 **So yeah, enjoy the chapter and have a great day!**

* * *

Lee stood defensively in front of Ben, a steely look on his face. This wasn't what they have become, even if Ben had caused this crisis. He was not going to stand by and let Ben be thrown to the road, he was only a kid. And as much as it felt wrong siding with someone who had caused the certain death of a child, it didn't result in them losing all humanity they had left.

"No. He's staying." Lee stated. His words were resolute and unmoving, he was determined in his choice. Lee felt reinforced that this was the correct thing to do when he caught both Clem and Carley smiling delighted in the corner of his eye. But he quickly realized that those smiles came at a cost. Lee faced a very betrayed looking Kenny. Glancing at Katjaa, she appeared stoic but acceptant of the decision, returning to tend to Duck. But Kenny was unfortunately so easily dismissive.

"So that's it? We're just gonna let this fucking dumbass back in our group? No consequences for his stupidness?!" Kenny questioned rigorously; irate about the final decision. He squared up to Lee, glaring into his eyes. Lee didn't back down, staring him down as he towered over the Floridian. He wanted to avoid another violent altercation, but he had to face Kenny on this instance, to make him aware that the decision was aware and he couldn't change that using brutality. As Lee stared unfazed into his eyes, he didn't see anger;

He instead saw hurt, self-hatred, he saw a man who didn't know what to do.

"C'mon Ken, just let it go." Katjaa urged, pulling at her husband as he let himself be dragged away. Lee was relieved that he had circumvented another brawl with Kenny, but he knew that the man would never forget this. Lee was beginning to become concerned about the frequently deteriorating relationship between himself and Kenny.

What originated as a workmanlike bond, two people that could relate in taking care of something cherished to them, to Ken his family and to Lee a little girl. But what appeared initially to be a firm friendship, it soon turned into distrust and frustration at the other. The meat locker was the start of a rocky relationship, and it had been nothing but downhill from that point.

Lee was aware that only something spectacular could patch their friendship back together, but for now, it would have to remain in tatters.

A little hand slipped into his, gazing down at a beaming Clementine. Lee grinned warmly at her, walking back with her to the fallen tree. Sun beat down on them, proving that not everything was bleak, but Lee had his pocket of sunshine with Clementine.

"I'm happy you voted for Ben. He's still my friend, even if he did something really bad." Clementine chirped, smiling brightly up at her guardian.

"I wasn't going to leave him behind, that's not the kind of people we are Clem." Lee remarked, squeezing her hand gently.

Clementine paused for a moment, a puzzled expression dancing on her face. "But you left Lily behind." She recalled. Lee was surprised that she would bring that up and draw a comparison between the two separate incidents. He felt slightly anxious about the fact that was she thought of him.

"That was different sweet pea. Lily knew what she was doing when she tried to hurt Carley, Ben never meant for this to happen. We can forgive him for that, but we can't forgive Lily." He explained, hoping that she would see the sense in his words. She nodded understandably, sitting up on the mossy log. Carley followed behind them, touching Lee's shoulder.

"Well that could've gone a lot better, huh?"

Lee would have chuckled if it wasn't for her sombre appearance.

"Tell me about it, Kenny was ready to tear him apart." Lee muttered, thankful that Katjaa was able to occupy her husband until he came.

"He's a livewire Lee, like Lily was back at the motor inn. I can't blame him, but he's getting to be hazardous to the others. Please keep an eye on him." She warned, wearily peering over at the train. Lee sighed at the thought of Kenny, and what he must be going through mentally right now.

"Kenny and I aren't exactly on the best of terms either." Lee shrugged.

"I know, but just please watch him. I don't know what he's going to do, but I feel trouble brewing."

Lee could definitely agree with her on that, Kenny was spiralling into a very volatile state, he was like a landmine to talk to at times.

"Hey Lee, thanks for sticking up for Ben." Carley smirked at him. "I know you had the right to kick him to the road but you showed me yet again that you're a good man. That was sweet of you."

Lee felt a foreign sensation in his chest at the her gaze, as he attempted to not look as uncomfortable as he felt.

"Not a problem Carley." He nearly stuttered. Lee cursed himself at his dopey reply as the reporter laughed at his stumbled response. He urged himself to change the subject hastily.

"How are you feeling? Your injuries I mean." He inquired, reminding himself to constantly check on her wound.

"I'm okay, you know, considering. It stings a bit from running over to you guys but I'll survive." Carley informed, holding her side. "-Hopefully anyway." She added jokingly.

"We can get Katjaa to have a look at your stitches again, we don't want you to mess them up. We need you to keep on the road to recovery." Lee suggested, Carley appeared grateful for his concern over her wellbeing. An amused grin played on her lips.

"I'm sure that won't... be... necessary..." Carley's words faded as her appreciative gesture flipped to one of fear, staring out over his shoulder. Lee spun around to be met by the sight of a figure slowly wandering towards them; it was unrecognizable. Lee reached for his gun in his back waistband, standing protectively in the way of a frightened Clementine as the mysterious figure advanced nonchalantly towards them. As it got closer, Lee could make out that it wasn't a walker but rather a scruffy looking elderly man, he didn't seem to be carrying any weapons, but Lee wasn't going to take any risks.

"Back away! We don't want any trouble!" Lee warned, hand gripping his Glock. He really hoped he wouldn't have to use it.

The man sneered mockingly. "What, man can't come round to chat with the folks that are pokin' round his home?" His accent was strong, his clothes were tattered and filthy, his hygiene was deplorable.

"What do you mean your 'home'? I didn't see any buildings around here." Carley exclaimed, seeming understandably suspicious about the stranger.

The man nodded towards the halted locomotive. "That massive train over there. You can't miss it." He remarked, receiving a glare from the reporter for his sarcasm.

"You live in the train?" Lee questioned in disbelief. It wasn't the most luxurious location, that was for certain.

"Sure do. Best way of keeping the creepy crawlies out. Besides, ain't like I had any place to be envious of before all this nonsense." He shrugged, seeming very relaxed around them.

"I'm Chuck by the way. Charles, if yer fancy."

"Name's Lee, this here is Carley and the little one is Clementine."

Chuck's face lit up at the sight of the girl, bending down onto his knee to wave at her.

"How are ya keepin' missy?" He asked cheerfully, Clementine smiled shyly as she hid behind Lee's leg, returning a quiet 'hi'. Lee was slightly wary of Chuck around Clem initially, but he told himself he was being paranoid and too judgemental. Chuck seemed like a decent man, from what little he had seen from him. He appeared to be no threat to the group right now, but Lee would have to keep an eye on him regardless.

Lee spotted Katjaa emerging from behind the train, gazing over at him and nodding. Lee knew what she was telling him. The time was upon them sooner than he had expected.

It was time to deal with Duck.

* * *

"Ken. It's... I think it's time."

Kenny couldn't fathom what was happening before him. His son, his only ever son was drifting away. Never in his deepest, darkest nightmares did he ever horrify himself with a thought like this. It all seemed like a dream, an out-of-body experience of some kind; because with the whole afternoon to let the fact his boy was about to die sink in, he still thought this was some twisted vision. He would wake up and be happy again, and not have to deal with this. Not have to handle his one and only son was leaving him gradually, one breath at a time.

"The boy's been bit. In case you haven't figured that out." Kenny muttered desolately to Chuck, who nodded mutely, knowing remaining mute was the best kind of condolences he could offer the grieving parents right now. Kenny didn't pay too much mind to the new face, Lee had probably dealt with and frankly, he just didn't care about who he was or why he was here. Kenny's dreary eyes fell on Ben, who instantly dropped his gaze to the ground, the guilt eating away at him still.

Carley stood back with Clementine, who appeared quietly inconsolable as her eyes flashed her pain at losing her friend. Lee had a slight feeling of regret looming over him, remembering those antibiotics that could have gone to Duck.

"Take as long as you need." Lee near whispered, trying to alleviate Kenny and Katjaa of anything he could right now. Kenny glanced over at him, shaking his head weakly.

"There ain't no time left to take." He replied, his voice shaky with threatening tears. Kenny turned back to his wife, struggling to look her in the eye. "What are we gonna do?"

Katjaa paused for a second, her eyes giving him her response. They both knew what had to happen.

"We can't allow him to become one of those things." She stated, rubbing Duck's head soothingly. Kenny wasn't going to take this, he just couldn't.

"But what if... What if he doesn't?" He aimlessly flared, his last throw of the dice was hopeless, and he didn't expect anything more. Katjaa shook her head firmly at the feeble suggestion. Kenny's denial was clogging his better senses.

"Kenny, I love you very much. I love our son more than life itself." She had to stop momentarily to control herself from her jagged emotions, stabbing her heart mercilessly. "I need you to hear me. What you are saying, that he may not turn, is foolish."

"But-

"No." Katjaa spoke firmly. "We both know it's... here." She pointed to her temple "Or nothing."

Kenny slipped a mournful sigh of frustration. "Well... fuck...just... who then? You want me to?" He offered bravely.

"You don't have to..."

"I'll do it." Lee stepped forward, willing to assist the pair in any way he possibly could, even if that meant being Duck's executor.

"No, it should be a parent." Katjaa dismissed quickly.

"No parent should have to do something like this." Lee stated, strong in his argument. No person should be forced to ever put down their own offspring.

"Lee's right, Kat. We can say our goodbyes and... just let that be it." Lee was slightly surprised that Kenny was content with the idea of him putting an end to the suffering. He seemed grateful for his merciful offer.

"I don't know..." Katjaa was still unconvinced at the idea, not wishing to land such a crushing burden on the man. "Lee, you'd be doing this family a great service." She remarked, an appreciative expression beyond words or actions. Katjaa gazed over at Clementine caringly, not wanting her to spectate something so horrid.

"Why don't we take him into the forest? So Clementine doesn't have to see." She suggested, receiving a thankful nod from Lee.

Kenny was aware the time was upon them now. There was no escaping this one, he had to face it.

"Give us a moment to say goodbye." Katjaa asked humbly, wishing for one last moment with her son before the dreaded end came around.

"Of course."

Katjaa went to pick up Duck, but paused to take him in as he was. Alive. Barely, but he was breathing, his chest rising and falling, his eyelids struggling to keep open. These were his last few minutes, these were the worst minutes of her entire life, without any kind of disputing. Scooping her son into her arms, Katjaa began to wander away into the woodlands, Kenny taking a breath before following behind her. Clementine took this chance to get a look at her friend, his head slouching over his mothers shoulder. His face was pale and tired, this was the last time she would ever see him again. She never got to tell him goodbye. Lee watched as they disappeared, feeling as if he could've done more to prevent this from occurring, wishing he had been there to stop this tragedy from taking place.

"What's happening?" A soft voice asked from behind him. Twisting and kneeling down beside Clementine, Lee knew it was essential to be honest with the girl.

"Duck is dying."

"I know." She mumbled drearily, his words making the agony seem all the more deep. "What are you doing?" She questioned again.

"I'm going to make sure he's okay." Lee muttered, glancing out into the forest. Clementine seemed conflicted by his reply, taking him too literally.

"But how... he's bitten."

"By making sure... he doesn't come back." He sighed, the gun in his waistband feeling all that heavier.

"Oh." It was all she could say, it was all she could muster up to respond with. Clementine was still accepting that Duck was about to die.

"Look Clem, things will-

 **BAM**

"NOOOO!"

A gunshot rang from deep in the forest, followed by Kenny's trailing cry. That wasn't the plan, it was Lee that was meant to do it. Everyone glared into the woods in heavy concern.

"Carley, take Clementine and the others into the train and stay there!" Lee ordered, making sure the rest of the group was safe in the scenario that things went south. Carley was about to protest when Lee bolted into the shady depths of the trees, Clementine watching in confusion and fear as her guardian disappeared into the foliage.

Sprinting as quick as his legs could carry him, the possibilities of what went wrong all ran through his head. A feeling of dread began to sit in his stomach, resting there as he ran. Emerging into a small opening in the forest, Lee came to a stop, ignoring his screaming lungs, and could only watch as Kenny sobbed over his lifeless wife, Duck perched up against a tree, his struggle to breath was the only sign of life he could emit.

"Kat! Kat! Katjaa! Why, Kat? Honey, oh fuckin' God..." Kenny broke down upon his wife's corpse, weeping openly as the blood began to pool around her head.

"Oh my God..." Lee exhaled, not beginning to understand the mountain of torment Kenny was going through. Closing her eyelids to give her some peace, Kenny glared back at Duck with tears streaming freely down his face. Picking up the gun that had fallen beside Katjaa, he got to his feet and faced his child, his back facing Lee. Gurgling and snarling began to sound from all around, stumbling figures and rustling branches. The dead had come.

"Get outta here Lee." Kenny muttered, eyes still trained on Duck.

"What?" No, Ken-

"Just go dammit! Get back to the train, make sure the others are safe. I-I gotta do this myself." The Floridian's voice was low, his words standing as an order.

"Ken, we don't have much time! The walkers are coming, we deal with Duck and we get out of here!" Lee urged desperately, looking around him at the incoming walkers.

"Just go, Lee. I'll meet you back at the train. I just... gotta do this alone."

Lee couldn't tell if Kenny was genuine in his promise to make it back to the train, but could he take the risk of leaving him behind to make sure the others were secure? He had just lost everything important to him, how did Lee not know that Kenny would follow his wife?

Lee stood between the line of safety and friendship, and one of them was at risk.

* * *

 **(Stay with Kenny)**

 **(Go back to the others)**

 **A tough choice for you all to decipher! The last choice of this episode, so make it count peeps. Get your say in, this is all up to you!**

 **Thank you all for reading! Have a great day.**


	6. Chapter 6

**So, we've come to the end of Episode 3! Once again and as always, thank you all so much for the reviews! You are all respectable subjects. Anyway, I got some more talking to do, but I'll leave that till the end, m'kay?**

 **Thank you all for reading!**

* * *

Lee always thought of himself as a merciful man, who always tried to do what he presumed was the correct thing to do. He put the safety of others ahead of his own, partly due to selflessness; partly due to the fact he was a killer, he wanted to mend things by saving anothers.

But in this instance, with walkers closing in all around, Lee could only nod to the grief-stricken Kenny and depart hastily.

With guilt suffocating him as he ran, Lee began to have second thoughts, was that the right thing to do? Clementine and the others could be in trouble, but so was Kenny. When Irene had asked for the gun back at the motor inn all that time ago, he had downright refused. He couldn't let humanity surrender, even if it was the sensible thing to do. Irene was bitten, there was no hope for her, and Lee remembered all those nights he wished he had given her the gun, and let her go with ease.

Kenny had just lost everything, his family was the world to him. In the blink of an eye, they were gone. Katjaa and Duck were no more. Lee heard the several shots ring out behind him, and winced at each one, horrified to wonder what they were used for. Kenny had promised him to meet him back at the train, and Lee had forced himself to believe it.

The locomotive came into sight, and Lee felt the anxiety rise in him when he saw the walkers surrounding the train.

Remembering he was unarmed, Lee stooped down to a crouch. He had to find a way into the boxcar to check if everyone was safe. Sneaking around the walkers, Lee stuck to the treeline to avoid being spotted by the dead. Slipping over the tracks and scurrying through the shrubbery to the RV, Lee managed to evade any unwanted attention.

The walkers wandered unintelligibly around the train, a few pounding on the side of the boxcar. Lee had to draw them away from the locomotive if he wanted to get to his friends. Noticing the RV he was hiding behind, the professor began to craft together an idea.

Bundling into the vehicle, Lee breathed out a 'Thank you' to Kenny for leaving the keys in the ignition. Turning them, the RV sprang to life. Lee couldn't remember the last time he drove a car, and felt a bit rusty at the controls, reversing into the vegetation on the other side of the road. Lee saw the walkers beginning the notice him, stumbling slowly towards the vehicle.

He needed to be louder, and with a little bit of hesitance, he began slamming his fist against the horn, which rang out brashly throughout the area.

The walkers definitely were aware of his presence now, and began to give chase. Lee accelerated slowly down the road they came from originally, pressing the horn the whole time to keep their attention. Lee wanted to draw them away from the train, before abandoning the RV and looping around through the forest back to the train.

Glancing in the side view mirror, Lee felt increasingly worried about the sizable herd following him. There were too many ways this plan could go wrong, but it was all going to plan till this point thankfully.

Judging that he was a safe enough distance from the train, Lee gave the horn one last blast from ditching the vehicle with a leap, rolling along the roadside. He hastily moved through the thick shrubbery, cursing at the thorns that cut his skin, but he tried to ignore it and push through. He had to return to the others, where Kenny hopefully had rejoined them.

* * *

Emerging from the forest and out into the open sunlight at the other end, Lee glanced around to find the area around the locomotive clear of the dead. He was impressed with his own improvisation, but didn't reward himself for too long, bolting for the boxcar door, clambering onto the train.

Attempting to push through it with no success, Lee remembered the door was unlocked when he last was in there. Putting his weight into it, banging desperately for anyone to open up. Lee wasn't aware how much time he had left before the walkers lost interest and came back, so he wanted to get the train moving once and for all.

The door suddenly gave way, and he fell through onto the filthy boxcar floor on the other side.

"Lee!" He heard a familiar sweet voice call out.

Clementine ran into him, hugging him tightly as she nestled her head into his shoulder. Lee sighed in relief and wrapped his arms protectively around her tiny frame, delighted to see that she was no worse for wear.

"Hey sweet pea. You okay?" He asked warmly, pulling away and placing a hand on her shoulder.

"I'm okay. It was scary but you drove the monsters away." She beamed, grateful that her guardian had returned to her.

"Yeah, thank you Lee. I was wondering what all that noise was." Carley smirked, before embracing Lee herself. He hesitantly placed his arm around her back, trying to act natural, as difficult as it seemed to be.

"I'm just glad you're all safe. But we need to get out of here, those walkers could come back at any moment." Lee explained warily, strolling away to the cab to get the train moving.

"Wait, where's Kenny and Katjaa?" Carley asked, stepping forward.

Lee froze on the spot, somehow forgetting about Kenny and his unknown whereabouts. The guilt began to return as he was stuck with explaining to the group the tragic events in the forest.

"Carley, I need to talk to you privately." Lee urged, holding the boxcar door open for her to follow him. Once they were outside, Lee spun around to the reporter, a miserable look in his eyes. Carley glared expectantly at him, pressing as always.

"I'm not going to lie to you, everything is very bad right now. Katjaa took her own life." Lee blurted, watching as Carley gasped in complete horror, shocked that the mother who always seemed to look for any optimism had just given up. The pain of losing her son proved too much to live with.

"Holy shit, I-I can't believe it. How could she just give up like that?" Carley mumbled, completely appalled that Katjaa would resort to an untimely end to escape her grief.

"I don't know, Carley. It's all just so horrible. Kenny is still out there. The walkers were closing in on us and he told me to leave, that he needed to handle Duck on his own, I tried to stay with him, but he wasn't having it." Lee remarked, crossing his arms across his chest while gazing down the road, wary of the walkers that the walkers could move back in their direction again.

"And you just left him?!" Carley hissed.

"What else was I supposed to do?! Drag him back here? There was nothing I could've done! Kenny said he would meet us back here." Lee exclaimed, trying to support the logistics behind his own actions.

"Do you... Do you think that... He-

"I don't know Carley, I sure hope not. We'll just have to wait and see I suppose." Lee shrugged, devoid of what else to do. Carley nodded lowly, turning her back on Lee and walking back to the boxcar without anymore negotiation. Lee knew Carley did not agree with his choice, but what else could he have done? What were they going to do now? Did they have the time to wait for Kenny?

Returning to the boxcar, Lee decided to rally everyone up and explain the plan. They needed to have the train ready to go in case their situation made a turn for the worst, which was seeming increasingly likely.

"Everybody, gather round. We need to talk." Lee announced, catching the group's attention. "We've got ourselves a precarious position right now, Kenny is out there somewhere, I don't know where exactly, and we all saw the walkers that were outside. We don't have much time to rely on right now."

"Wait, where is Katjaa? Is she okay?" Clementine questioned, clearly concerned about the woman. Lee winced at the question and how he was going to explain it.

"Listen Clem, I'll explain later. She's... She's not in anymore misery right now, same as Duck, okay?" Lee remarked softly to the little girl, who seemed bewildered and anxious about the response.

"We need to be ready for when those walkers come back, and I'm not saying this is what I want to do, but perhaps we should think about-

"-leaving me behind?"

Lee spun around to see Kenny with a ghost of a humoured smirk on his face, but the emotional devastation was evident on his face. The man had lost everything he held sacred.

"Good to see you're okay Kenny. We were all worried about you." Carley informed, standing awkwardly back with Clementine. Kenny seemed unmoved by the comment.

"No time for words, we gotta get this train moving, the plan hasn't changed." He told the group firmly, his voice gravelly and emotionless. Lee nodded, following him up to the cab to put the locomotive in motion. Kenny collapsed into the conductor's seat, shifting over so Lee could release the throttle. Pulling the lever, the train slowly crept forward before jolting and remaining stationary once more.

"God fuckin' damn it!"

* * *

After detaching the train from the wreckage behind using a monkey wrench Chuck had found, they were freed and on roaring down the tracks. The sun was floating leisurely in the sky, revealing it was about evening time. Lee listened to the clicking of the train against the tracks as he strolled past Ben, who had his head in hands, looking less than willing to talk. With a map of Savannah in his pocket, Lee entered the boxcar again, walking over to take a seat beside a tranquil Clementine, who was letting her legs dangle off the side of the train, watching the scenery flash by.

Initially, Lee was ready to tear Chuck apart when he heard that he told Clementine was going to die, and Carley had a similar reaction when she was informed about it. But after some stern discussion with the old man, it actually turned out that he had some very valid points about Clementine's safety, and how it could be unknowingly jeopardized by treating her as a helpless little girl. Clementine was already precocious enough as it was, but she still needed some vital aspects dealt with if she was going to survive in this increasingly dangerous world.

Having already followed Chucks advice in teaching Clem to handle a gun, with the help of Carley, and to give her a much needed haircut, all Lee needed to do was to figure out a plan for when they reached Savannah, and formulate what they were going to do when they arrived.

"I want to talk to you about Savannah." Lee began, hopeful they could both reach an agreeable plan.

"Me too." Clementine smiled back. Lee was aware that Clementine was determined to find her parents, which only piled onto their current issues that plagued them already.

"And what we're going to do when we get there. We don't know what to expect; the city could be bad or totally under control." Lee explained, laying out the city map between them, studying the various streets and buildings. "The thing is, you and I, we're a team, you know? And a team needs a plan."

Lee saw the small smile that grew on Clem's face when he referred to them as a 'team'. She must like the idea.

"Aside from everyone else, when this train stops, you and I should know exactly what we're doing."

Clementine nodded understandably at his words. "A plan, I like it."

"We need to help find a boat. It's our best bet at safety." Lee remarked, knowing well Clem had another idea at mind.

"Okay, but we'll be in Savannah and my parents were in Savannah." Clementine replied.

"I know, look-

"-No! I don't care about safety. I care about finding them." Clementine exclaimed suddenly, her eagerness was firm and final.

Lee sighed in defeat, knowing trying to convince her otherwise was a futile task. "Okay, we'll look for them."

"Really?"

"Yes, of course. I'm sorry. Let's look at the map. If we can figure out where they were, we can start there." Lee mumbled, knowing that this was always going to end badly.

"Okay, let's."

After some rigorous observation of the map, they had found the Marsh House was the best place to start searching for her parents. Lee was skeptical about the whole plan, but he couldn't bring himself to tell Clem that her parents were gone, even if that meant he had to lie to her.

"You think we have a good plan?" Lee asked, knowing she would be fully in favour of it.

"I think it's very good." Clementine nodded, enthusiastic and evidently more bright about their voyage to Savannah.

After a brief pause, Clementine adorned another curious expression on her face. "Can I... tell my parents? You know..."

Lee had to flinch a the question slightly. Why would she want to tell her parents about Lee's past? He was aware that Clementine was at times a puzzle to decipher, but this was unnecessarily risky and unneeded for her parents information for her parents to know, but realizing that they were more than likely not alive anymore, Lee decided to take the risk and let her go ahead.

"Sure. All right, how do you feel?" Lee inquired, trying to change the subject quickly.

"Good, better. I'm glad we have a plan."

"And you're a good little shot."

"Thanks." Clementine smiled gratefully.

"I guess we should see how far-

"Oh shit! Hold on everybody!" They heard Kenny bellow from up in the cab, with the train screeching to an eventual halt. Lee could only sigh as he hopped down off the side to find out what their next obstacle was.

Hopefully, when they reached Savannah, things would get better.

* * *

 **Ugggghhhhh, yeah okay, I'm skipping a large chunk of the episode featuring the introduction of Christa and Omid, but I was writing this and I realized, even with all the differences, that this part wouldn't really differ from the way in went in the game. Lee and Clem work together to get the blowtorch, they take down the tanker, Omid injures his leg, and Lee discovers Clementine has been talking to someone on her walkie talkie.**

 **It's still pretty shitty of me that I'm just skipping over it though. I'm sorry, I don't got a lot of time and I wanted to upload this now cause I'm pretty late so yeah... Sorry about that.**

 **Anywho, that is the end of Episode 3! Thanks to everyone that has been following this story, I'll be continuing with Episode 4 soon enough, don't worry.**

 **In the meantime, send me some PM's with any questions you have. Also, here's a little vote for you to do since their is no big choice in this chapter; Should Lee play along with the fact that Clem's parents are still alive? Or should he be direct and tell her the truth now? Not a major decision, but an important one. Let me know what you think, as Clem might not take the truth so well, but we all know where letting her believe they were still alive got us in the game.**

 **Anyway, thank you all so much for reading! Have a great day!**

* * *

 _Leave Lilly?_

 _76% of Readers voted Leave Her_

 _Give Antibiotics to Carley or Duck?_

 _66% of Readers voted Give them to Carley_

 _Put Duck out of his misery?_

 _60% of Readers voted Put Duck out of his misery._

 _Vote Ben to stay or leave?_

 _81% of Readers voted for Ben to stay_

 _Stay or Leave Kenny?_

 _64% of Readers voted to leave Kenny_


	7. Chapter 7

**Well, we're coming into Episode 4 now. Sorry if the update times become a tad bit erratic from this point onward, as I have a lot of work to be doing, but I'll try post new chapters as regularly as possible. It's not easy to find time for but I like writing these so I will write when I find the time, just thought you should know in advance.**

 **I'll talk to you all again at the bottom. Enjoy!**

* * *

Gathering their brief amount of belongings and possessions, the group slowly crawled out of the safety of train boxcar. They had arrived at Savannah sooner than expected, almost surprised by meeting their destination so soon. Kenny was adamant on embarking into the city as soon as possible, not wishing to waste anymore time to get to the waterline. Lee was aware that the entire group, the two newest to tag along, Christa and Omid especially, were all sceptical of the idea. Kenny seemed to be denying any other possible notion besides finding a boat and sailing it far away. But with this arrangement came more questions, where would they go? What if there was no boats? Kenny brushed these aside without as much as a thought towards them, leaving the others to feel uncertain how clouded his judgement currently was.

Lee assisted in helping Carley out of the locomotive that had served them well, holding her side which was ailing her once again. However, Carley was joined by Omid on the injury list, but the persian mans' wounds were much worse as he had no real kind of surgery or a certified medical figure to look at him, as well as the group lacking much basic medical equipment. Lee would resolve that issue when it becomes drastic, as there is no other option at the minute.

Glancing over at Clementine, Lee sighed in frustration. He felt upset that she would endanger the group by talking to a complete stranger, also lying to him about her working walkie talkie. He felt hurt that she wouldn't tell him about this, but tried not to show any visible discontent to her, as he couldn't possibly force himself be outwardly angry with the little girl. Clem crumbled to confrontation, apologizing profusely and stating that the man was nice and that he was a 'friend'. With the walkie talkie now strapped to his belt buckle, Lee would have to gain more information from Clem about her new acquaintance, and what he's been saying to her. Spotting the sense of guilt and genuine remorse on her face reinforced the fact that she was still only a child, and she simply didn't know any better than to trust most people that gave off a friendly impression. He could never blame her for it.

Kenny seemed agitated at the front train, glaring back at Christa as she tended to her boyfriend, as he appeared not to be in the waiting mood. Chuck brandished a shovel at a nearby trackside cabin, smiling as he twirled it around in his calloused hands. Ben stood arms crossed behind the group, seemingly anxious about what nightmares Savannah had to offer him. The teenager lacked any kind of self confidence, especially now that Kenny was giving him the cold shoulder, guilt had completely overwhelmed the boy.

"Right, are we ready to go then? We've been fuckin' around too long I reckon." Kenny remarked, shoving a pistol into his waistband. "The sooner we get on the water, the better."

"What about Omid? He needs medical help, he might not make it too long without it!" Christa exclaimed, ignoring Omid's pleas to stop worrying about him.

"Listen, I don't c-

"-We'll find him help, don't worry. We'll get the shit we need first, then we'll get out of here." Lee jumped in, not wanted more conflict to resonate before they had even set foot in the city. "Right, Ken?"

The Floridian huffed in concealed rage, not thinking too highly of the new group members. He was proving too hasty to check for a boat, as many were sceptical whether any boats would be there regardless. Kenny was too arrogant to even listen to any other suggestions, which could come back to haunt them in the future if there plan A doesn't go accordingly, which seemed more and more likely now.

"He's not listening to anyone, Lee. He's gonna get us all in trouble." Carley murmured wearily to him, eyes glaring at the Floridian.

"I know Car, but he just wants to be safe, can't say I don't agree with him there. I'll make sure he doesn't go outta line, okay?" Lee replied cooly, reassuring the reporter about the situation, who seemed unconvinced nonetheless.

"Whatever, if you think so. What about Clem? What are we gonna do about her 'friend'?" Carley questioned, switching her gaze over to the little girl. Lee shook his head, recalling the precarious little issue they had to deal with on the side.

"We'll just have to keep an eye out for anything strange I suppose, and make sure she can't talk to him unless we need her to or something like that, I'll have to talk to her about it later." Lee shrugged, knowing that this problem could potentially be fatal, who knows what kind of person Clem was talking to. "I just wished she would have talked to me instead of whoever the fuck is on that radio of hers."

"Clem adores you, Lee. She just didn't know it was dangerous. Don't think that she doesn't trust you or anything, because it's the exact opposite in reality, she trusts you with her life." Carley smiled, rubbing his shoulder soothingly.

"I hope you're right, because this is where her parents are, and I know she's going to wanna look for them."

Carley's brow furrowed slightly. "Her parents? Didn't you say-

"-Yeah, I know they're dead. But she doesn't know."

"Ah."

"Yeah, you're beginning to see the issue now."

The reporter stood back, realizing the problem Lee was facing, understanding the turmoil that must be raging in his mind. Carley touched his arm gently, gazing into his eyes with a sense of understanding that beared some of the substantial burden he was carrying.

"Well I'm sure whatever you try to do, you'll be trying to do the right thing."

* * *

The town was eerily silent, the odd caw from a crow, the shuffling of footsteps against the cobblestone street and Omid's grunting as he limped along behind the group, Christa watching over him with anxious eyes. The looming trees hung moss bunting proudly across their reaching branches, with sported a riveting green in the bright beams of the glorious midday sun. The buildings were of a strong Georgian style architecture, with various balconies out to make use of the richer climate.

Clementine jogged up beside Lee, gazing up at him. He knew what she was looking for, and kept his game face on, feeling marginally bad for being slightly cold to the girl. Her eyes wandered over the walkie talkie attached to his belt strap, before settling them back on him.

"Can't I just hold it?"

Her voice was as gentle and powerless as it had ever been, aware of her guardians disdain towards the man she had been speaking to; but she pried on the matter regardless. Lee couldn't help but let a tiny portion of disappointment appear in his expression, which he was sure she picked up on.

"Just for a little while? We're getting real close to where my mom and dad are. Maybe I can-

"-Not now, Clementine. Maybe later, okay?"

"Okay..." She muttered, looking back down at her feet.

Lee looked back to Christa, who strolled alongside her injured boyfriend, worry plaguing her face.

"How's Omid?" Lee asked, concerned about the man's health.

Christa paused slightly before speaking, trying to sound positive but realistic.

"His leg is pretty bad."

"I'm fine." He shook off.

"You're not fine! You need to rest.. He needs to rest!" Christa exclaimed to Lee, demanding some respite for Omid. Lee nodded, acknowledging her request. Omid was beginning to seem pale, and his breathing was becoming heavier as they walked the streets.

"Kenny, how much farther to the river front?"

"Should be just a few more blocks up ahead." Kenny replied tiredly.

"And there'll be boats there?" Christa inquired spitefully, constantly questioning their plan.

"There sure as hell better be." Lee muttered to himself.

"There'll be boats. Have to be. _Have_ to be." Kenny sighed, a vague sense of blind hopefulness in his tone, a blockade of denial for there to be any other way.

"It's okay to be okay, Kenny knows what he's doing." Ben surprisingly vouched for him, earning a hard stare from the Floridian.

Kenny shook his head at the comment, not buying the compliment for a second. "You're lucky to still be here right now, Ben, so I'd shut it if I were you." Kenny snarled at the teenager unneededly.

"What?! I was sticking up for you man!" Ben voiced, confusion in his expression.

"Can we please not do this now? We need to work together." Carley piped in, attempting to smooth out the conflict. Kenny just snorted, looking back out in front of him, while Ben just shoved his hands into his pockets, taking another blow to his self esteem.

A bell kind of noise rang out sharply at a sudden, stopping everyone in their tracks. The belltower in the church opposite of the group rang loudly, alarming everyone. The noise echoed through the vacant avenues.

"What the hell?" Ben exclaimed, frightened at the commotion.

"Maybe this city isn't so dead after all." Christa murmured cautiously, her tone wary.

"Keep moving. No one's ringing that bell. It's automatic, on a timer." Kenny barked, his eagerness to get to the waterfront was unrelenting.

Lee took a quick glance at his watch, realizing something wasn't right. "What kind of church bell goes off at twenty past the hour?" He questioned, making the group suddenly agitated at the eery occurrence. Looking back up at the belltower, Lee spotted a shadowy figure hastily scurry across the rooftop, and out of his sight.

"Someone's up there!" Lee exclaimed, pointing up to the rooftop.

"Are you sure? I don't see anything." Ben replied, scanning the church for any movement.

"Maybe he's right, guys. We don't know-

The walkie talkie in Lee's belt burst awake with a wail of static, before a voice came through the speaker.

"If I were you, I'd get out of the street. _Now."_

Lee grabbed the radio, feeling the sense of eyes boring into him.

"I thought you said that thing didn't work!" Christa stated, glaring at the device in his hands.

Lee shrugged, pushing down the button on the side to respond to the stranger.

"Who is this? Is that you up in the bell tower?"

Waiting for a response, the tension became palpable as Lee couldn't help but feel as if they were being watched. Flinching slightly at every toll of the bell, the walkie talkie remained mute, only helping to serve up more questions.

"What the hell was that? Is someone trying to fuck with us?!" Omid questioned, looking over his shoulder.

Ben shrugged and grimaced slightly. "Sounded more like a warning..."

"Maybe we should follow his advice and get the hell out of the streets." Carley suggested, hand gripping her Glock 17 tightly.

Chuck spun around, gazing away into the distance. "Ask not for whom the bell tolls." He muttered lowly, to no one in particular.

"What are you yammerin' on about?" Kenny inquired, increasingly frustrated by the whole scenario. The group turned around slowly, following Chuck's gaze, only to be met with a familiar yet all the same, horrifying sight.

"It tolls for thee..."

Walkers advanced towards the group from an adjacent avenue, spotting the vulnerable group out in the open street. They snarled and growled as they stumbled closer, completely outnumbering them with the vast and unorganized ranks of the dead.

"Everybody, run!"

Breaking out into a sprint, the group bolted down the street, only to be cut off by another herd coming in from the opposite street, closing them into the single street with a smaller road to pass through, a couple of walkers lining the path. Chuck lead them along, knocking the flailing biters with a swing of his shovel, resulting in a sickening crack upon impact. Kenny ran along the wall, however, he failed to spot the walker stuck underneath the wrecked car, which swung and caught his leg, causing the man to crash down onto the tarmac, his pistol sliding out of reach.

"Kenny!" Lee shouted, whipping out his gun and firing a round through the skull of the walker, releasing it's grip on his leg.

"Little too close, don't you think?" Kenny exhaled in relief, grabbing his handgun and climbing back to his feet.

"Ben!" Lee heard a voice cry, spinning around to find walkers closing in on the teenager and Clementine, Ben looking utterly terrified and clueless, like a deer in headlights. The girl glanced up at her elder, waiting for him to find a solution that wasn't going to come.

"Ben, help her!" Lee yelled, fear evident in his words as the walkers continued to close in on the pair. Ben froze to the spot, petrified of the dead coming towards them. A gun rang out beside Lee, glancing over to see Carley firing at the walkers with pinpoint accuracy. But they proved too strong in numbers, and no gap appeared in the small herd.

A walker clambered over to Clementine, the girl shrieking in fear and closing her eyes in anticipation for the pain as it closed in for the kill, before a shovel smashed it upon the head. Chuck drove the tool into it's body, pinning it down against the concrete path. Ben stumbled behind the older man, as the walkers turned their attention to Chuck. Carley continued to fire, giving some room for Clementine to manoeuvre out of the spot and scramble over to Lee's open arms. He held the girl tightly, scared at just how close he came to losing the most precious entity in his life.

Chuck continued to fight away the walkers, swinging wildly as Ben stood helplessly behind him, weaponless, rendering the teenager as good as useless in the conflict.

"Go on ahead!" Chuck yelled out. "We'll catch up!" The elderly man nodded to Lee in understanding, making him aware that they'd be alright.

Joining up with the others, Kenny pushed forward down the street. "Move your asses! River Street's right up ahead!" He bellowed, still determined to get to the water.

"That's not all..." Carley murmured, gazing ahead into the distance. Another band of walkers staggered towards them from down the street.

"Oh give me a fucking break!" Kenny yelled furiously, his knuckles white from clenching his fists too long.

"Wait, where the hell is Chuck and Ben?!" Christa asked, wondering about the pair's safety. The group glanced back to find Chuck battling away stubbornly with the walkers still, his effort was tireless as he seemed to show no signs of stopping, Ben behind him, nearly contemplating sprinting away down the avenue behind him apparently.

"Shit! They're in trouble, we gotta help them!" Omid exclaimed.

"He said they'd be fine, c'mon, we gotta get off the street!" Kenny yelled, pushing through a gate into a mansion behind them.

"We can't just leave them, Kenny!" Carley scowled, firing rounds at the growing number of walkers.

"There's no time! We gotta go, now!" Kenny demanded, ordering everyone into the mansion lot. Lee looked back at Chuck and Ben, seeing the futile attempts of the man. The fear in Ben's eyes was devastating, as he backed away slowly from the growing crowd of biters. Lee knew they needed help, but could he risk his own safety trying to rescue them?

* * *

 **[Help Ben and Chuck]**

 **[Continue without them]**

 **We're back with a tough one! A hectic scene to come back to, they could survive without Lee's help, but don't take that as a promise! And risking Lee's own safety could prove fatal... Who knows? It's up to you guys!**

 **Thank you all so for reading! Make sure to leave some feedback. Have a great day!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Well, it's been a while, hasn't it? Yup, I'm really sorry about that. Just I was so busy with school and exams so when I finished them, I was exhausted and I kinda wanted some time to relax. Point is, I'm really sorry for the long wait. I'm going to try my best to get back into a regular schedule and get back into some sort of organized structure again.**

 **In other news, I have made plans for where this story is going and possibly future installments, if anyone is interested. I'm excited for this story and how it's going to pan out! Well, let's get to it then.**

 **So yeah, enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

Lee shook his head, collecting his thoughts above the rampant wails of the dead. He had to help Chuck and Ben, he refused to leave them behind. Taking one last glance back at Kenny, Lee darted back into the chaotic street which was brimming with the dead, swerving the flailing hands swung in his direction and charging through any gaps the walkers had created. Lee could hear his name being cried out behind him, but he chose to ignore it for now. He heard the metallic impacts of Chuck's shovel in the near distance as he burst through the stumbling biters.

Chuck nearly swung the shovel at Lee, closely mistaking him for one of the dead which were now pouring into the street in their masses.

"Goddamn it, I told you we'd be fine!" Chuck roared, infuriated he had endangered his life to save his.

"You can tell me all about it later, right now, we all need to get the fuck off the street and back to the others!" Lee yelled back, spinning around to see what must have been hundreds of walkers advancing towards the three.

"I don't think we're getting through that way." Ben stammered, his eyes wildly spinning around in his head to find an escape. Lee turned, hastily studying the mostly empty avenue behind them.

"Follow me, we'll find a way around." He exclaimed, speeding into a run down the street with Ben and Chuck trailing closely behind.

The opposite streets were quite vacant of the dead, much to their relief. Lee got the opportunity to plan through their next move. He glanced at the buildings on the horizon, trying to pick out which was the mansion the rest of the group had tried to hold up in. Ben paced frantically behind him, panic clear in his expression as he vaguely murmured to himself, hands on his head. Chuck seemed rather calm, nearly nonchalant about the entire situation as he picked bone fragments of the tip of his shovel.

"This is hopeless!" Ben cried. "How are we gonna get back to them, man? We're stranded out here by ourselves! We're so totally screwed! We're so-

"-Calm down Ben!" Lee cut in, evidently stressed himself. "You need to be calm right now! We'll be fine, just give me a minute to catch my bearings." Ben seemed to take no heed of his advice, returning to his pacing up and down the cobblestone street. Chuck merely grinned at the boy's frantic nature, finding it somewhat amusing.

"Son, you need to relax. Good ol' Lee here will get us back to the others." Chuck stated to the teenager, trying to get him level headed. Ben just nodded, taking in deep breaths.

Lee hadn't gotten a great look at the mansion Kenny had directed them towards, but he remembered it was the last on the block. Picking what he suspected was the correct house, Lee signalled for the pair to come over to him. The faint gurgling and moaning of the walkers could still be heard a few buildings over, and they hadn't wandered away from the street from the sound of them.

"What have ya got for us then, Lee?" Chuck inquisitioned at the professor.

"See that mansion in the distance?" Lee pointed to the building he was referring to, a few block away from their current location. "I think that's where they're hold up. We got to try find another way in, from the sounds of it, the walkers are still at the entrance. You two good to go?" He asked, receiving a solemn nod from Chuck and a feeble sigh from Ben.

* * *

Setting out into a careful stroll, Lee kept his eyes concentrated on his surroundings. Those walkers could move back to them if they lost interest in the area. Truth was, Lee was slightly anxious about the safety of Clementine and the rest of the group. He prayed they had made it safely into the mansion, while in his own thoughts, Chuck caught up with Lee, matching his pace, which Lee presumed that he wanted to talk.

"Just so ya know, when I told y'all to go on without me and the kid, I expected ya to take my word. You shouldn'ta came back for us." Chuck muttered, glaring at Lee. "You have that little girl to look after, what were ya doing putting your life on the line trying to save mine?"

"I wasn't just going to leave you two for the walkers. What was your plan for getting back to us, Chuck? I came after you to help you." Lee replied firmly.

Chuck just shook his head, not convinced by the reasoning. "And what if you got chomped on the way?"

"I didn't."

"But if you did? Then you're dead, and you shatter that girls life. And for what? To come rescue me and the kid?" Chuck seemed dead serious in what he was saying. "You gotta learn to not play hero all the time, you'll end up dead because of it."

Lee couldn't believe what he was hearing from the old man. He had gone to the effort of helping them escape the clutches of the walkers and now he was being scalded for doing so?

"Listen, you may think that it's some sort of obligation for you to put the lives of others ahead of your own, but what I saw just there was you nearly killin' yourself over something I had under control." Chuck explained.

"Under control?! You were trying to fight off a horde with a shovel! How would you have gotten back to us if I hadn't had come back for you?" Lee scowled in return, thinking the old man was delusional.

"Point is, you're puttin' your life on the line needlessly too many times. One of these days, you ain't gonna be so lucky. Just imagine if you had been killed by them biters out there; you're leavin' behind a little girl and that woman, what's her name, Carley? Just think about what you're possibly sacrificing your life for and consider whether it's really worth it."

Lee was left speechless by his tirade, he ran what he said through his mind over and over as they walked, Chuck and Ben were in trouble, but the old man just expected Lee to leave him for the walkers? Shaking his head, Lee walked on, realizing they were close to the mansion. The groaning of the dead was still clearly audible, which meant they were still wandering around in the street. The front entrance wasn't an option right now.

"We're nearly there, let's not draw any attention to ourselves." Lee whispered, spinning around to the pair. "It's the house at the end of the block. The walkers haven't left the street yet, so we have to find another way in. Any ideas?"

"Can we not just push through them?" Ben suggested without much thought, blind to the sheer amount of them that were still currently blocking up the road.

"No way, there's too many." Lee quickly rejected the plan.

"Sure there's no back way in? Don't look like there's too many of them round back, might be a back gate or somethin'." Chuck proposed. Lee gave it some thought, and realizing that was their best bet at the moment.

"Okay, that seems like our best option right now." Lee nodded, peaking around the wall into the street once more. "I'll sneak over and give you guys the signal for when it's clear, okay?"

"You betcha."

"Ummmm yeah, okay."

Lee peered out once again, sucking in a deep breath, before ambling over to the opposite wall, seemingly without drawing any unwanted attention. Glancing back out, seeing the walkers were beginning to drain out of the street, stumbling away to look for a new prey, he waved the pair over to him. Scaling along the brick wall, they reached the back wall, finding a barred fence holding them out from the vacant garden of the mansion.

"No sign of them." Lee muttered to himself, his anxiety building up inside his chest, like a pendulum swinging above his head. He knew that the group was capable of defending themselves, but the thought of being separated terrified him. Savannah was a maze, and if they truly had lost the others, it would no doubt be a major ordeal to find them again.

"Maybe we should just check the house anyway, just to be sure?" Ben suggested in a low tone, glancing over his shoulder hesitantly.

"Alright, someone give me a boost over this fence." Lee asked. Chuck stepped up, coming down onto his knee, hands formed into a platform for the professor. Chuck hoisted him over the wall, Lee landing on his feet on the other side.

"You next, kid." Chuck stated, remaining in position so Ben could clamber over. Chuck was then quickly hoisted over the top with the help of the two on the other side. Scanning around the yard, Lee was immediately hit with a foul rotting smell, glancing down and finding an open grave in the ground, with what he presumed was a long deceased dog's resting place.

"I think I'm gonna be sick." Ben spluttered, covering his mouth to avoid puking at the horrendous sight and smell.

"Who's going around diggin' up graves? That's a new low." Chuck muttered, shaking his head in disgust.

"Forget about it, let's go check out the house. They should be inside." Lee commented, making his way to the back door.

The building was completely locked up from the look of it; windows barricaded and vegetation overgrown and growing wild. Lee kept a hand on his gun as he gripped the door handle, glancing back at Ben and Chuck momentarily, who both nodded at him. Lee paused for a second, before bundling into the house, his gun at the ready.

The first thing Lee was met with was several guns being pointed in his direction.

"Oh thank god it's you guys." Carley murmured, pulling Lee in for a hug.

"It's great to see all of you guys too." He grinned, returning the embrace.

"I see you actually managed to rescue them, with the grace of a buffoon." Christa mentioned, gesturing towards Ben and Chuck.

"He shouldn'ta risked his life like that." Chuck commented, setting down his shovel against the wall.

"Jesus Christ Lee, I thought you were dead! Don't pull shit like that, you'll wind up dead!" Carley lambasted, pulling away from him. "But, I suppose you did save them both so, good work." She smirked at him. Walking through the kitchen and into the living room, he spotted the next person he was searching to find.

"Lee!" Clementine cried out, running into his open arms.

"Hey sweet pea." He smiled, squeezing her tiny frame in a tight embrace. "Are you okay?" He asked.

"I'm fine. I think Omid is hurt though." She frowned, looking over at the injured man who had been set on the couch. Lee walked over to the Persian, deeply concerned of his wellbeing.

"How are you feeling, man?" He questioned.

"I've been better, but give me some time, and I'll be okay-

"-No you won't! You need help, you need to be treated with proper medical equipment!" Christa exclaimed.

"Where do you suppose we'd find those?" Carley asked, knowing that her wound would need some treatment as well.

"I-I don't know. We're in a city! There's bound to be a hospital or something we could search."

Lee noticed there was still someone missing. "Where's Kenny?"

"He's upstairs checking out the attic." Christa replied.

"How long has he been up there?" Lee was then met with a stony silence.

"I think around ten minutes or so, we were all checking the house to see if it was safe while you guys were gone, he offered to search the attic." Omid stated.

"Ten minutes?! Why would it take ten minutes to search an attic?" Lee inquired, once again met with silence as the group realized something may be wrong. "Listen, I'll go check if he's okay. You guys just relax." Lee remarked, making his way for the large oak stairs.

* * *

Lee climbed the ladder steadily, not trusting it's ability to support his weight. Peaking his head above the attic floor, he was almost blinded by the singular box window on the opposite wall, the strong sun rays pouring through, magnifying the dust particles as they danced through the air freely. Kenny was hunched over feebly, and Lee couldn't help but worry for the man's mental status.

"Kenny?" Lee called out to him, but he received no response in return.

Clambering up into the attic, Lee strolled over to him slowly as to not overly disturb him. "Kenny? You okay, man?" But the man remained silent, staring lifelessly at something in front of him. Lee was suddenly struck with another ungodly smell, this one making him flinch at it's sheer potency.

"Jesus. What the hell is that- Oh my god."

Lee then knew what was wrong, it was lying right in front of him. A boy, hardly older than Clementine, practically skin and bones, dragged its malnourished body to its feet. It rasped a dry groan as it turned slowly to the two men, spotting them, but it was too weak to even attempt to approach them. It's bony legs gave way and the undead child collapsed in a pile on the musty floor, extending a hand at them. It's ribcage was visible, and it's eyes were white and emotionless. The sight was one that Lee wished he would never have to see in his lifetime.

"Kinda looks like Duck, don't he." Kenny murmured, eyes glued to the boy.

"It's just a kid. What the hell happened to him?" Lee questioned, feeling nothing but pity for the child.

"Ain't nothing on him. Guess he must've been hiding out up here. Starved to death." Kenny shrugged, his voice low and lacking life.

"Jesus Christ..."

Kenny gazed up at Lee with nothing but pain in his eyes, this was like Duck all over again. When he looked at the boy, he saw his own son in him. "I don't know if I can, Lee. Couldn't do it before. Can't do it now." He muttered, voice trembling as he fought back tears.

Lee shook his head. "I can't ask you to do this, man. I'll take care of it. Like I did before." He stated, looking back down at a man who was desperately trying to keep it together.

"Are you sure?" Kenny asked, but it was practically rhetorical. He knew Lee was adamant in dealing with the issue.

"I guess we'll find out."

Lee walked over to the boy, looking over the few things he must have been able to drag up to the attic with him. A mattress, an empty plate with the food long eaten and an crinkled water bottle, devoid of any kind of liquid. The kids death must have been slow and torturous, which made Lee's stomach turn at the thought of it.

Walking over to the boy, Lee gazed down at him with his eyes brimming with sympathy. This was no way for a child to die, and it made Lee feel awful at the thought of a life cut so short. Gripping the monkey wrench in his hands, Lee glanced back towards Kenny; his eyes were full of sorrow of the mental wounds his sons death had inflicted on him. Lee looked back down at the boy, releasing a sigh.

"I'm sorry." He said, knowing it meant very little.

He swung the monkey wrench at the child, finding it difficult to do. He connected with a sickening crack against the childs forehead, and it's life was suddenly over. Standing over the corpse, Lee just drew in deep breaths, shocked at what he had just done. Dark, metallic blood oozed slowly from the impact mark, as Kenny came to stand beside Lee.

"We should bury him." He muttered, eyes still fixed on the now lifeless boy.

Lee paused momentarily, before nodding solemnly.

"I'll take care of it."

Scooping the child into his arms, Lee didn't flinch at the feel. He wanted to put the child to rest, and give it the proper burial it deserved. Lee descended down the attic stairs, leaving Kenny alone to reflect on what just happened and where he was going.

* * *

Lee placed another clump of dirt into the grave, the boy was barely visible at this point. It was a quiet day, he could no longer hear the walkers but instead a few distant birds chirping and the gentle wind blowing. Lee momentarily paused to see Clementine watching him, an unreadable look on her face. He couldn't help but just gaze at her, subconsciously promising that he would never let this happen to her. But the reality of it all was too real, it was all too possible that this could happen to her, but he had made a pact that he would do everything in his power and beyond to keep her alive and safe.

Christa came out of the mansion, glancing over at Lee as he worked, offering him a look of understanding, before following Clementine back into the mansion.

Lee continued with the task, whisking up dirt and pouring into the grave. The grave was nearly filled when he caught something at the corner of his eye.

A person.

Standing there, staring back at Lee from behind the fence. Lee couldn't make out a face or a gender, but it was definitely a living person, he was sure of it. Approaching the wall, the figure sprinted away before Lee got the chance to get a better look.

"Hey, hey!" Lee yelled, gripping the fence bars as he watched the figure turn a corner and disappear. "Who are you? What the hell do you want from us?!" Lee heard the group re-enter the yard, obviously to find out whatever or whoever he was yelling at.

"Lee, what's going on?" Christa questioned immediately.

"I saw someone standing there by the fence. Watching us." He replied, eyes still scanning the streets to make sure the person was gone.

"A walker?" Ben suggested.

"No, too fast." Lee stated, walking back to the others. "Took off like a bat out of hell when I spotted him."

"Was it a man or a woman?" Christa asked again.

"Didn't get a good enough look."

"It's got to be the guy on the radio then, trying to screw with us. I don't like this, Lee. Not one bit." Carley remarked. Just then, the door swung open, revealing a dull looking Kenny stroll out into the light.

"Kenny?"

"I'm fine. Just... I'm fine. What's all the ruckus?" He asked.

"Lee saw someone watching us from outside the gate." Ben informed him.

"What? Who?!" Kenny immediately became alert.

"I can't be sure, they ran off before I could get a good look."

"I don't like this one bit. Not one bit." Ben uttered, appearing creeped out by the whole scenario.

"Me either. Walkers are one thing, but the thought of someone out there actually stalking us.." Christa agreed.

"Alright, that's it. We've stuck around here long enough. It's time to get back on track, time to get down to the river and find ourselves a boat." Kenny firmly exclaimed.

"I don't know if Omid is well enough to move yet, in fact, I was thinking some of us go down throughout the city and scavenging some supplies, maybe some medication for Omid if we can find it." Christa put forward.

"No way, we get ourselves a boat, and then we get the hell outta here!" Kenny instantly refused the idea.

"Think about it, we have little to no food or water, no medical supplies and we're low on ammo too. We should at least look for some supplies while we're here, my wound needs some work and we could get Omid into better shape too." Carley backed up the plan, much to Kenny's disdain.

"I don't care, I'm going to the waterfront and I'm getting us a damn boat, we've been pissing around to long here!" Kenny remarked. Lee looked over the two ideas which had been put forward, knowing he had to make a choice.

* * *

 **[Agree with Christa's plan]**

 **[Agree with Kenny's plan]**

 **Sooooo, back at you guys with another choice here. Keep in mind, whatever plan you decide, the other will still go, but most likely alone. That's probably not a good idea.**

 **Sorry once again for the wait, hope you enjoyed, have a great day!**

 **Peace!**


End file.
